The Batesville Police Department has acknowledged a death in east Batesville on 19th Street is now under investigation. The department chief told the White River Now news department that investigator Kyle Williford is heading the investigation.
Initial information indicated the death may be classified as a drug overdose, but that has not been confirmed by Williford. As soon as we received additional information from the Batesville Police Department, we will pass it along to you.
UPDATE 12/27/2018: Lieutenant Kyle Williford said Batesville Police were dispatched Monday, Dec. 24 to a 19th Street address in reference to two unresponsive male subjects.
Police found the two men in what appeared to a drug overdose. One man was taken to the White River Medical Center. The second man, Richard Barberot, 27, of Lacombe, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Barberot’s body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine the cause of death. A police spokesman shared this morning that the man sent to the hospital has been moved from intensive care to regular care, his condition still improving. Batesville Police have not yet released his name.
The investigation of the incident is ongoing.
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