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Structure Fire- Possible Murder-Suicide

04/04/2022

On 04/02/2022 at approximately 7:20AM Boone County Sheriff's Department was notified of a structure fire at 6512 Cave Creek Road in Boone County.  When officers arrived on scene they discovered the home fully engulfed in flames and property owner, 56 year old William Len Minyard, Jr., laying on the concrete of a detached garage/shop building.  It was immediately apparent to officers that Minyard had sustained a gunshot wound.   William was transported from the scene to UAMS in Little Rock, but was not expected to survive his injuries.  Officers on scene also searched for his wife identified as 52 year old, Linda Minyard.  Linda, who was known by Boone County Deputies as an employee of the Boone County Jail Staff since 2015, had just completed her shift and went home.  It was known that Linda had filed a recent protection order against William which was in effect at the time of this incident.  The Valley Springs Fire Department who had responded to the scene to extinguish the fire discovered human remains inside the home.  The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated and the body recovered is being sent to the medical examiner's office to determine positive identification and cause of death.  The investigation of all the evidence collected in the case will determine the final result of the case. However, all indications point toward a tragic ending of the relationship between the two.