Sheriff under fire after victim’s family calls statement a “Deflection of Wrongdoing”
- Dennis McCaslin
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Editor's note: Information for this article was sourced through public records and a story in the Madison County Record
By Dennis McCaslin | Today in Fort Smith
The family of Taylor Barksdale, a 30-year-old woman whose remains were discovered in rural Madison County in September 2024, says a recent statement by Madison County Sheriff Ronnie Boyd amounts to “victim shaming” and a calculated deflection of accountability in the wake of law enforcement’s failure to respond to a 911 call in the days leading up to her death.
Barksdale’s death was ruled a homicide. On August 5, 2024, a 911 call was placed reporting a woman screaming for help in the woods near Kingston. No deputy ever responded. Weeks later, Barksdale’s remains were found in the same area.
Despite the gravity of those events, Boyd released a four-page social media statement on April 7 in which he referenced Taylor’s mental health, addiction struggles, and even her physical condition prior to death—information that had never been shared with the family and that, according to their attorney Sammi Wilmoth, felt like a personal attack.
The sheriff’s post also referenced an upcoming vote for a county jail sales tax, political criticism directed at his office, and a possible re-election bid.
“The timing, tone, and content of that post were shocking,” Wilmoth said. “It was a clear attempt to defend the department at the expense of a homicide victim’s dignity and her family’s grief. Frankly, it’s a classic deflection of wrongdoing.”
Wilmoth and Barksdale’s family met with Boyd on March 6 to seek answers regarding the handling of Taylor’s case. According to Wilmoth, many of the details included in the sheriff’s social media post—particularly references to Taylor’s condition and accusations about her lifestyle—were not disclosed during that meeting.
“They were blindsided,” Wilmoth said. “You don’t hold a three-hour meeting with a grieving family and then publish sensitive, speculative information without warning. It was deeply inappropriate.”
Boyd admitted he did not inform the family ahead of time about the statement, saying he “felt like [he] was answering the public, not them.”
The sheriff’s explanation did little to soothe a family already frustrated by months of minimal communication and unanswered questions. “It’s one thing to be imperfect,” said Taylor’s aunt, Tracie Barksdale, “but when your office fails to respond to a 911 call, then tries to blame the victim for her own death, that’s not imperfection—that’s negligence.”
Boyd’s post attempted to distance the case from public criticism by characterizing detractors as spreading "lies" and seeking to derail the upcoming May 13 vote on a proposed sales tax to fund the maintenance of the new county jail.
The family has denied orchestrating any protest tied to the tax issue, despite Boyd’s statement implying otherwise.
“He called us low class for planning to wear T-shirts with Taylor’s name on them,” Tracie said. “That’s not a protest. That’s us keeping her memory alive. If he thinks that's low class, he might want to rethink his position.”
The Barksdale family has also raised concerns over how Taylor’s remains were recovered, the lack of crime scene tape, and the incomplete autopsy resulting from missing remains. According to Tracie, the Arkansas State Crime Lab has left the autopsy open, waiting on the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation.
“They told me they don’t want someone to get off on a technicality,” she said. “But how long are we supposed to wait?”
Questions remain unanswered about why the deputy assigned to the 911 call—Blake Hassell—never responded, and why the sheriff allowed him to resign “in lieu of being fired” on September 11. Boyd has since initiated proceedings to have Hassell decertified, with a hearing expected in September.
Still, Wilmoth insists the leadership vacuum is glaring.
“It’s the sheriff’s job to follow up,” she said. “Instead, he tells us the emergency no longer existed. Since when is a delayed response an excuse for no response at all?”
Further concerns were raised when Boyd disclosed in his statement that Taylor may have worked as a confidential informant—information that Wilmoth says should never have been made public due to legal protections surrounding such status.
“The fact that he even mentioned it is wildly inappropriate,” she said. “Confidential informant status is privileged, and now it’s on Facebook.”
In the end, the sheriff’s attempt to clear the air has only further strained relations between his office and a grieving family searching for answers. His decision to link Taylor’s death to a political campaign for a tax initiative--while dismissing legitimate criticism as baseless--has left many questioning whether accountability is truly a priority.
“This isn’t about a jail,” Wilmoth said. “This is about a young woman who died violently and was ignored when she cried for help. Everything else is noise.”
As of today, the Barksdale family has received no personal belongings of Taylor’s, no clear answers about how she died, and no apology for the failure to respond to the call that may have saved her life.
“I will wear my teal shirt with her name on it,” Tracie said. “And I will do it proudly. Because Taylor mattered. And we will not let her be forgotten.”
