A Texarkana, Ark., woman is facing a charge of abuse of a corpse involving skeletonized remains found in a Texarkana, Ark., house earlier this month.
Debbie Sue Himes, 55, is free on a $15,000 bond and scheduled to appear Nov. 12 before a Miller County circuit judge. Debbie Himes is charged in connection with remains found earlier this month in a house on Martha Street which Texarkana, Ark., police have said they believe are 40-year-old Christy Himes.
The remains were discovered after a search of the home stemming from the arrest of Tony Ken Hooker, 63, who was Christy Himes’ caretaker and Debbie Himes’ boyfriend. Hooker was arrested for sexual assault in connection with a younger relative of Christy Himes and Debbie Himes and is free on a $40,000 bond, according to court records.
Texarkana, Ark., police were asked by Adult Protective Services to conduct a welfare check on Christy Himes at the time of Hooker’s arrest. Hooker was reportedly cashing benefit checks for Christy Himes, who was disabled.
According to search warrant documents, police found “skeletonized remains” wrapped in a garbage bag and blankets Oct. 2 when they searched two houses on Martha Street.
The body was too badly decomposed for a positive identification. The body has been sent off to the Arkansas Crime Lab to obtain information regarding the manner of death and positive identification, according to a press release from Texarkana, Ark., Police Department issued earlier this month.
