Body in creek ID’d as a Mena mother

Authorities Thursday identified a body that was found Tuesday afternoon as that of a mother whose two children are missing, officials said.

Bethany Jo Wester, 43, of Mena is the mother of 2-year-old Acelynn Wester and 9-year-old Reilly Scarbrough, according to a news release from the Polk County sheriff’s office.

Authorities found Wester’s body in a creek southeast of Cove around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, a news release said. The cause of her death was not released, but the sheriff’s office said her death is the focus of an active homicide investigation.

Her two children are still missing.