Arkansas weatherman found in hot tub with naked dead man

Mendoza Line · #1 09-07-2011, 04:36 PM

Arkansas weatherman Brett Cummins found in hot tub with naked dead man wearing 'dog collar': police

By Michael Sheridan

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Brett Cummins, 33, woke up Tuesday to discover that a man he'd been with the night before was dead beside him in a hot tub, naked and wearing a dog collar, police say.

An Arkansas weatherman didn't predict he would wake up in a hot tub with a naked dead man, but that's exactly what police say happened. (ZING!! -- Mendoza)

Now authorities are trying to determine what killed Dexter Williams, whose body was found with a "dog collar" around his neck, according to a police report.

The mystery began Monday night, when KARK 4 News meteorologist Brett Cummins arrived at the home of John Barbour around 11 p.m. in Maumelle, just north of Little Rock, the report stated. The 33-year-old weatherman brought Williams, 24, with him. Barbour said he did not know the doomed man.

"They then began to drink and use illegal narcotics," Officer Gregory Roussie said Barbour told him. "Mr. Barbour stated he was not sure of the drugs that they were using but that they were snorting them."

About two hours later, Cummins and Williams went into the Jacuzzi to have a drink, and Barbour later joined them, police said. Shortly afterwards, Barbour said he left the two and went into the living room, where he fell asleep on the couch.

Barbour told police he awoke about 8 a.m. Tuesday and could hear Cummins snoring in the hot tub, the report said. He proceeded to gather glasses in the bathroom and wake up Cummins before realizing Williams was dead.

"Dexter's head was lying behind Brett's left shoulder," Barbour told police, according to the report. "After Brett awoke they discovered that Dexter was not conscious and his face was a different color."

The meteorologist was horrified, the report indicated.

"Brett screamed and became ill and left the bathroom and vomited on the carpet in the living room," Barbour told police, according to the report. The weatherman then left the house, but insisted he would return.

"Cummins did return to the residence and gave a statement to investigators," Roussie said in the report. No details of what he said have been released.

When police arrived they observed Williams "lying on his right side in a fetal position, his face was blue and purple in color with a chain around his neck," Roussie said in the report. "The chain was silver in color and consistent with what I believed to be a dog collar."

He also noted that he "observed a small ring of blood around the bottom of the tub."

An autopsy is underway to determine what killed Williams, but so far no charges have been filed in his death.

KARK 4 News stated online Tuesday that "Brett will not be on the air as he is mourning the loss of his friend."