Key Takeaways
- • Arkansas State Police (ASP) is investigating two separate in-custody deaths occurring within a 11-day window in July 2026—one in West Memphis on July 26 involving Tony Sanders, 40, and one in Fayetteville on July 15 involving Jordan Ferchow, 36.
- • Tony Sanders died after being arrested for Fleeing and Disorderly Conduct following an incident at Crittenden Baptist Hospital; he became unresponsive while in custody at the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
- • Jordan Ferchow was arrested by University of Arkansas Police for driving on a suspended license during DWI suspension and multiple traffic violations; she exhibited symptoms consistent with possible drug ingestion while in custody and died at Washington County Regional Hospital.
- • Both cases involve law enforcement custody protocols and medical response procedures, with ASP conducting independent investigations into the circumstances surrounding each death.
- • No additional investigative details have been released, and both cases remain ongoing with limited public information available.
Summary
The Arkansas State Police is conducting investigations into two separate in-custody deaths that occurred in different jurisdictions during July 2026. The first incident occurred on July 15 in Fayetteville, when Jordan Ferchow, 36, of Fayetteville, was processed into the Washington County Detention Center following arrest by University of Arkansas Police for driving on a suspended driver's license during a DWI suspension and multiple traffic violations. While in custody, Ferchow exhibited symptoms consistent with possible drug ingestion and was transported by EMS to Washington County Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
The second death occurred on July 26 in West Memphis, when Tony Sanders, 40, of West Memphis, became the subject of a police response to a report of an individual attempting to break into an ambulance at Crittenden Baptist Hospital. Upon officer arrival, Sanders fled on foot into a field west of the hospital. Officers apprehended Sanders and arrested him for Fleeing and Disorderly Conduct, then transported him to the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department for booking. Sanders became unresponsive while in custody; officers initiated CPR and contacted Crittenden County EMS. He was transported to Crittenden Baptist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Both investigations remain active under ASP supervision, with the state police agency serving in an independent investigative capacity. The cases involve separate law enforcement agencies—the Washington County Sheriff's Office and West Memphis Police Department—and different hospitals. ASP has indicated that no additional information will be released pending completion of ongoing investigations.
The second death occurred on July 26 in West Memphis, when Tony Sanders, 40, of West Memphis, became the subject of a police response to a report of an individual attempting to break into an ambulance at Crittenden Baptist Hospital. Upon officer arrival, Sanders fled on foot into a field west of the hospital. Officers apprehended Sanders and arrested him for Fleeing and Disorderly Conduct, then transported him to the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department for booking. Sanders became unresponsive while in custody; officers initiated CPR and contacted Crittenden County EMS. He was transported to Crittenden Baptist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Both investigations remain active under ASP supervision, with the state police agency serving in an independent investigative capacity. The cases involve separate law enforcement agencies—the Washington County Sheriff's Office and West Memphis Police Department—and different hospitals. ASP has indicated that no additional information will be released pending completion of ongoing investigations.
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