1 charged with murder in connection with Poplar Bluff homicide

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - One man has been charged with first-degree murder after a homicide in Poplar Bluff.

Neighbors say this happened too close to home.

"We've had some officers that have worked 18 hours straight on this particular case," said neighbor Jack Dotson. "I think it was a shame that it happened. You never know what is going to happen anymore nowadays. People are coming in and you don't know who they are. It's awful, just awful."

According to police, a call for a death came in around 9:30 Monday night at an apartment building at 401 South Broadway.

The victim of an apparent homicide was found in a bedroom and later identified as 28-year-old Tiffani Leigh Noles of Paragould, Arkansas.

Around 11 p.m. the Poplar Bluff/Butler County Major Case Squad was activated.

According to police, Kyle "Brandon" Hollis was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon, May 20 in the 4000 block of County Road 618 in Cardwell, Mo. on outstanding warrants for failure to appear. After talking to Hollis, police say they determined there was no evidence to suggest he was involved in Tiffani Noles' death.

A short time later, police say Winkle was arrested on County Road 544 in Jonesboro, Ark. As of around 5 p.m. he was being held in the Craighead County Jail on a Butler County warrant for first degree murder.

Police say Jeremy Allen Winkle, 28, has been charged with first degree murder. His bond was set at $250,000 cash only.

They say Kyle B. Hollis is being held on previous charges. He is no longer being considered a person of interest in the Poplar Bluff homicide.

Both Winkle and Hollis are from Paragould, Arkansas.

An autopsy determined the cause of death was by strangulation.

In the probable cause statement, the Poplar Bluff Police Department received a 911 call on Monday, May 19 from a man saying he had returned to his apartment on South Broadway and found the dead body of a woman inside. During an interview, the caller said the dead woman was the girlfriend of his son, Jeremy Winkle.

Jeremy Winkle's father said Jeremy and Tiffani Noles came to his apartment and spent the night on Sunday, May 18. At about 6 a.m. on Monday, May 19, he said he and Jeremy were eating breakfast and he heard Noles, who was still in bed, moan. He said he asked Jeremy if Noles was ok, to which Jeremy said she had taken some sleeping pills that knock her out.

According to Jeremy Winkle's father, he and Jeremy left and locked the door. He gave Jeremy a key to the apartment and Jeremy gave him a ride to work. He said he returned later Monday evening and when he went inside he noticed Noles was still in bed. He said he felt her and she was cold to the touch. He called 911 at this point.

On Monday, May 19 the Paragould, Ark. Police Department received a report from a woman that her granddaughter, Tiffani Noles, and her vehicle were missing. At about 11:27 a.m., Paragould police made a traffic stop on the missing vehicle. The driver was identified as Jeremy Winkle. He told the officers that he took Noles to her boyfriend's house and they were leaving the state of Missouri and traveling to Florida.

On Tuesday, May 20, investigators interviewed Kyle Hollis who said he was friends with Jeremy Winkle. Hollis told them he was riding in a car with Jeremy earlier that day and Jeremy said he did not know what he was going to do with the body, and he was going to turn his cell phone off due to GPS tracking.

During the investigation, officers say a woman told them Jeremy Winkle and Kyle Hollis came to her home in a vehicle she knew belonged to Tiffani Noles. She said Winkle wanted to hide the vehicle in the outbuilding near her home. She told him she knew the vehicle belonged to Noles and he could not hide it in the outbuilding. She said Winkle then told her that Noles had gone to Mexico and left him the car.

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