TEXARKANA—Child sex abuse allegations led to the surprising discovery of a "skeletonized" corpse in a Texarkana, Ark., residence earlier this month.
When Texarkana, Ark., police went to arrest Tony Ken Hooker, 63, on a warrant for second-degree sexual assault of a child, they were asked by Adult Protective Services to assist in a welfare check on 40-year-old Christy Himes. A.P.S. staff told police that staff had been unable for "some time" to conduct a face-to-face contact with Himes, who was intellectually disabled and had a history of seizures, Texarkana, Ark., Police Department Lt. Zachary White said Thursday.
Search warrant documents regarding the Oct. 3 search of Hooker's residence in the 1200 block of Martha Street list a "skeletonized body wrapped in a black garbage bag with duct tape and several blankets," among evidence collected by investigators. The warrant authorizes searches of two adjacent residences on Martha Street which Hooker is believed to own.
White said that while investigators "firmly believe" the remains belong to Christy Himes, the department is still waiting for the results of DNA comparison to Himes' sister's DNA profile by the Arkansas State Crime Lab for definitive confirmation. Himes' sister is the longtime girlfriend of Hooker.
White said Hooker is deemed Himes' caretaker by A.P.S. and was receiving and cashing benefit checks on her behalf. When A.P.S. caseworkers attempted to make contact with Himes they were told that she was away visiting family "or given some other excuse as to why she wasn't available," White said.
White said that Christy Himes' sister, who is not being identified because she has not been charged in the case, provided information to police at the time of the search that led them to believe Christy Himes was deceased and that her remains were in the Martha Street residence.
Hooker is currently being held in the Miller County jail with bail set at $40,000 in the child sexual abuse case. The mother of a 17-year-old girl reported Sept. 23 that her daughter disclosed that Hooker, whom she reportedly thought of as a grandfather and called "Ken", had touched her inappropriately on multiple occasions when she was a 9- or 10-year-old girl visiting the Martha Street residences, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The alleged victim is related to Hooker's longtime girlfriend and Christy Himes. Hooker is prohibited from having any contact with the girl should he post bond. Hooker is scheduled to appear in Miller County circuit court on the sexual assault charge later this month.