31 Dec 2025 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2026: Jessica Freeman

By Tammy Keith

Being a coroner is not everyone’s dream career, but not everyone is Jessica Freeman. “I am very passionate about my job,” she said. “I love to help others at the most tragic time of their lives.”

Freeman, who lives in Greenbrier, conducts death-scene investigations for Faulkner County to determine the cause and manner of death. A lifelong resident of the county, she served for almost 10 years as a funeral director for funeral homes in Greenbrier and Conway before working for seven years with her mentor, the late coroner Patrick F. Moore. After he died in 2017, she was appointed to take his place and is the first female in the position in the county.

“This is my dream; this is what I’ve always wanted to do,” she said in an interview at the time. “I have always been intrigued with death investigation.”

The number of deaths has doubled in Faulkner County since 2016, she said, “and it’s just getting bigger and bigger.” An additional full-time deputy was approved in the 2026 budget by the Quorum Court, and the position is much needed, she said.

Being coroner is a job that is predictable in how unpredictable it is. “No one in this profession has any kind of routine,” she said. “Death occurs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. I’m always on backup call just about every day.”

Freeman cites as her greatest accomplishment, other than her son, Luke, 22, obtaining her American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators certificate. She is treasurer and past secretary of the Arkansas Coroner’s Association Board and is a member of an education board for coroners in Arkansas. “We make decisions about what kind of classes we can bring in, what kind of training we can do for coroners of Arkansas,” she said.

“I want to obtain as much knowledge as I can to better my services to the citizens of Faulkner County,” she said. “I want us to keep getting more and more training [and become] more educated in our line of work. There’s so much more education than there used to be.”

Freeman said another change is that there are more female coroners than when she started. “I feel accepted,” she said.

Amanda Jolly, a part-time deputy coroner, described Freeman as “very kind and compassionate, and I would say the same thing about how she helps families in our county. “She shows a lot of empathy and compassion for the families that we usually have to give them the worst news that they could be receiving. She takes the time and is very empathic,” Jolly said.

She’s seen over the years what a good impression Freeman makes on families. “We don’t just work with families and they’re gone; we make relationships with them,” Jolly said. “Families absolutely trust her. She’s not afraid to give you the truth.”

Freeman said her faith is important to her, and she said her inspiration comes from the Lord. “He leads me and guides me,’ she said. Asked what she wants to be known for, she said, “My compassion, kindness and love for others.” 

She is acutely aware of how short life is, and she holds it dear. She has taken to heart that each day is a gift to be lived fully. Her favorite activities are reading, gardening, and spending time with her family. Her advice for people is to “always cherish the time you have with your family. Tomorrow is never promised.”