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12-year-old girl, man and woman found shot to death while in bed in Arkansas

ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, Ark. — A 12-year-old girl, a man and a woman were found shot to death while they were in bed in St. Francis County, Arkansas.

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According to WHBQ, the St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office said the three victims were found shot inside a house in Madison, Arkansas, located near Forrest City.

SFCSO Sheriff Bobby May said a person of interest has been identified but no one is in custody, according to WHBQ.

The bodies were discovered Monday after deputies were called to the house around 1 a.m. for a welfare check. According to WHBQ, the bodies were identified as JaTerrance Wright, Shalonda Barton and Barton’s 12-year-old daughter who was not identified further. They were all shot while in their beds.

May said that crimes like this meant that the suspect was known to the victims and it wasn’t unusual to see criminal activity spike during the holiday season, according to WHBQ.

According to WHBQ, May said that a 4-year-old was also in the house at the time of the shooting but is safe and in good health.

Forrest City Schools issued a statement that confirmed the 12-year-old was a student in their district, according to WHBQ.

The Forrest City School District is saddened at learning of the tragic loss of a FCSD student and her family members overnight,” FCS said in a Facebook post.

Deputies are working on tracking down the person of interest and expect to make an arrest soon, according to WHBQ.

No further information has been released. The investigation is ongoing.