Mountain Home man arrested, charged with murder of 71-year-old woman

A Mountain Home man was arrested Friday and charged in the murder of a 71-year-old woman whose body was found in the trunk of her car last week, according to an Elmore County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Scott Eugene Riggs was arrested around 7:30 p.m. Friday on a warrant for a single count of first-degree murder.

Paula Knudson Ferbache was last seen Aug. 25 leaving her job at Wal-Mart. Her body was found several miles outside of Mountain Home the next morning near where she lived, police said.

Earlier in the week, police told the Statesman they were following several leads but had not publicly identified a person of interest.

Sheriff Mike Hollinshead said Riggs and Ferbache knew one another, though he declined to say how.

Hollinshead said the investigation is ongoing.

“We’re still processing a lot of evidence right now,” he said.

This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Mountain Home man arrested, charged with murder of 71-year-old woman."