FORT SMITH -- The body of a Lavaca man was found off a walking trail at Chaffee Crossing on Saturday near where police recovered a stolen motorcycle a week before, according to police.
The man, identified as 28-year-old David Albert Cates, appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Fort Smith police spokesman Cpl. Anthony Rice said Monday. Police found a handgun near the body, he said.
Rice said a person walking on a trail around 7900 Massard Road stepped off the trail about 1:55 p.m. and found the body in tall grass and trees.
A motorcycle that was reported stolen from Arkoma, Okla., just across the border from Fort Smith, had been recovered from at that location about a week before, Rice said.
State Desk on 11/28/2017