Stephens Media

Mario Dawson

FORT SMITH — Fort Smith police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of former Waldron mayor Troy Anderson, 75.

Today, investigators with the Fort Smith Police Department, with assistance from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, located a burned body in a rural area of Pulaski County, 500 to 600 yards from where Anderson’s vehicle was located on June 29.

Mario Maurice Dawson will be booked into the Sebastian County Jail without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder, Fort Smith police Capt. Jarrard Copeland said in a news release.

The body was burned beyond recognition and is being sent to the State Crime Lab for an autopsy and identification, authorities said.

Jasmine Carter Dawson, Mario Dawson's wife, also arrested

West Memphis authorities arrested Dawson, 21, and his wife, Jasmine Carter Dawson, 20, both of Fort Smith, at a relative’s house on Thursday after surveillance video showed them using a credit card belonging to Anderson, police said.

Anderson’s landlord at Mari-Lynn Apartments on South H Street in Fort Smith reported him missing June 27. Authorities have determined Anderson went missing most likely on June 21.