TEXARKANA, Texas (KXAN) – A few feet can make a big difference when investigating an unexpected death in Texarkana. The state line between Texas and Arkansas bisects the city and the middle, literally, of the downtown U.S. Post Office building.
If a person was found dead on the west side of that post office, a Texas justice of the peace from Bowie County would sign off on the cause of death. If the deceased was discovered on the east side of the office, the Miller County coroner in Arkansas would make the decision.
The division between Texas and Arkansas in Texarkana highlights the stark differences, from one state to the next, in U.S. death investigation systems that have no federal standard to follow.
Explore KXAN’s project about Texas’ unique system for investigating deaths, and how it played into the questions that persist about the 1965 strangulation of a young girl.