Missing Kansas woman found dead in Arkansas

A Potwin, Kansas woman last seen in Arkansas has been found dead.

Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet confirmed Sherry Lynn Babcock's body was found in a wooded area in Newton County.

Det. Mike Blocker, with the Newton County Sheriff's Office, said Babcock had no type of injury that leads him to believe foul play was involved.

Blocker said Babcock's body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab Medical Examiner's Office where the official cause of death will be determined.

Authorities began searching for Babcock since Nov. 26 when she was reported missing and her car was found abandoned with all of her belongings inside.

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The small Butler County town of Potwin is still looking for answers about where Sherry Lynn Babock is and why her belongings were found in Arkansas.

Security footage from a gas station in Ponca, Ark. marks the last place Babcock was seen on Nov. 22, six days after leaving home in Potwin. Ponca, is an unincorporated community in northern Arkansas, about 60 miles east of Fayetteville, or about 340 miles southeast of Wichita.

Babock's car was abandoned in Ponca. Newton County, Ark. Sheriff Glenn Wheeler says the vehicle was unlocked and her purse and other valuables were still inside.

He says his department has conducted interviews, used cell phone pings, bloodhounds and other resources to try and figure out what happened to Babcock.

In Potwin, Babcock is a well-known member of the community. She worked at the local grocery store and even helped open the town's only gas station.

Her daughter-in-law, Amanda Blackfox, says Babcock "has a tendency to just disappear for a while," but the current situation is different than previous times because Babcock hasn't checked in with family and friends back home.

"In October, she went away but kept in contact. (She) let us know when she got there. But this time, nothing," Blackfox says.

The security footage from Nov. 22 gives Blackfox hope Babcock will be found safe.

Sherry Babcock is described as standing about 5’2″, and weighing about 125 lbs. She has blue eyes and sandy blonde hair.

Anyone with information about Babcock's information is asked to notify the Newton County Sheriff’s Office at 870-446-5124 or the Butler County, Kansas Sheriff’s Office at 316-322-4254.