Woman brutally murdered with axe

RUSK COUNTY — After being extradited from an Arkansas jail to Rusk County, the newly released arrest documents outline what investigators say led a man to allegedly kill his wife with an axe. According to our news partner KETK, on March 18, around 2 p.m., Rusk County dispatch received a call from a family member of Scott Thompson. The family member reported that Thompson had claimed he had “killed his wife with an axe, left her in the hallway, and locked her in the trailer,” according to the affidavit.

When deputies arrived, they knocked repeatedly but received no answer. They observed “blood through the backdoor window in the hallway leading to the kitchen area,” and under “exigent circumstances,” the deputies forced entry into the house. A deputy found Thompson’s wife, Amanda Thompson, deceased and with wounds consistent with sharp force trauma to the back of her head, according to the affidavit.

Investigators quickly identified Scott as a suspect who had left the residence shortly before deputies arrived. Surveillance footage helped authorities determine the vehicle he was driving, and they were able to obtain his phone number. Tracking data indicated he was traveling toward Arkansas.

Thompson had also allegedly told the family member to pick his kids up from school so they would not go into the home. Deputies then conducted a welfare check at Thompson’s residence in Mount Enterprise.

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office then coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service and Arkansas State Police. At around 9 p.m. on March 18, Scott was located and arrested in Russellville, Ark.

Scott was charged with murder and held in the Pope County Jail before being extradited and booked into the Rusk County Jail on Wednesday. His bond is set at $1.5 million.

Rusk County Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez said her family told him that Amanda was the victim of several domestic violence incidents over the years, but it was never reported.