DEATH INVESTIGATION UPDATE

Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander reports that a joint investigation between the Marion County Sheriff's Office and the Arkansas State Police led to the arrest of a Flippin man in the death of ALISHA MARIE GAUGER (W/F, DOB: 08/22/1982). The Sheriff stated deputies, and first responders were called to a residence on Marion County (MC) Road 7057 in April 2024, after receiving a call from MICHAEL R. MOORE, who stated he found GAUGER unresponsive in their residence. Deputies responded to the residence and called for Investigators, who processed the scene and collected evidence that included drug paraphernalia and other items associated with the ingestion of illegal narcotics. GAUGER'S body was subsequently submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory (ASCL) for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The State Medical Examiner determined GAUGER'S death was caused by combined drug toxicity due to ingesting five (5) different drugs that included Fentanyl, and ruled the manner of death was accidental.

The investigation continued into the summer and fall of 2024, and Investigators were able to develop evidence that implicated MOORE in GAUGER'S death. MOORE was arrested at his residence on MC 7057 on the afternoon of 02/07/2025 and transported to the Marion County Detention Center. MOORE was booked into the Detention Center on one (1) count of Manslaughter, a class B" felony, one (1) county of Maintaining a Drug Premises, a class "B" felony, and one (1) count of Tampering with Physical Evidence, a class "D" felony. He was booked into the Detention Center in lieu of a $25,000.00 bond.

Gregg L. Alexander, Sheriff