Man arrested for allegedly striking cyclist and putting body in his truck after leg found at scene

Hit and run caused hours worth of road closures

James Jones, 42 (Fort Smith Police Department )

A man in northwest Arkansas has been charged with manslaughter following the killing of a cyclist whose body was later found in a truck.

James Ray Jones, according to police in Fort Smith, was arrested after surveillance footage showed his truck fleeing the scene of the collision on Friday.

Police said Mr Jones, 42, was taken into custody at his home address not long after, and was transported to the local police station where he confessed.

The body of cyclist Christopher West, 57, was allegedly found inside the truck, as KATV News reported on Monday. No further details about Mr West have been made public.

Mr Jones admitted in the police interview to killing the cyclist during the hit-and-run incident, the Fort Smith Police Department said, and he was booked into Sebastian County Jail.

Police had earlier received a report of a body part in the road where the accident happened on Grand Avenue, and afterwards confirmed the appendage to be human.

Roads were closed for “several hours” in the town on Friday after Mr West was struck.

Mr Jones was charged with manslaughter and for leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, the Fort Smith Police Department said. He is reportedly being being held on a $50,000 (£36,898) bond.

Fort Smith is not far from the Arkansas border with Oklahoma.