In the early morning hours of Sunday, January 17, 2021, the life of 20-year-old Jared James Sykes of Dardanelle, Arkansas, was tragically cut short in what was initially reported as a hunting accident. A student at Arkansas Tech University and a member of the Arkansas National Guard, Jared was known for bringing light and mischief into the world, and for being a caring and beloved son, family member, and friend.
On that fateful night, he and his two cousins were in Carden Bottoms, an area near Dardanelle, engaged in night hunting for coyotes.
The group had parked their truck around midnight and set up in a field with thermal scopes and a coyote call. Unbeknownst to them, approximately 360 yards away, four men were staying in a cabin preparing for a duck hunt the following morning. One of these men, 24-year-old Scott Douthit of Russellville, later told authorities he heard coyote noises. Stepping outside with an AR-15 rifle equipped with a thermal scope, he scanned the field.
Douthit claimed he saw what he described as 'heat sources' through the scope and began to fire into the darkness. Over the next few minutes, he discharged his weapon seven times into the field. One of these rounds struck Jared James Sykes. He was rushed to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Russellville with a single gunshot wound, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Initially, the Yell County Sheriff's Office and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission investigated the incident as a hunting accident. However, as the investigation progressed, the narrative began to change. An autopsy performed by the Arkansas State Crime Lab determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound and officially ruled the manner of death as a homicide. This critical finding led to a shift in the legal ramifications of the incident.
Following the investigation, a felony warrant for the charge of Manslaughter was issued for the arrest of Scott Douthit on Monday, June 7, 2021. According to documents filed in Yell County Circuit Court, Douthit admitted to law enforcement on the night of the shooting that he had been drinking and was the one who had fired the shots. The investigation and subsequent arrest brought a new and painful dimension to the tragic loss of a young man who was loved immensely by his family and friends.
