A Lake Providence man was charged Tuesday night with the slayings of two Tallulah women over the weekend, Louisiana officials announced.

Walter Walker, 27, is being held at the Madison Parish Jail following his arrest on two counts of second-degree murder, said Trooper Mark Dennis of the Louisiana State Police.

The bodies of Jasmine Smith, 19, and her friend, Nikesha R. Washington, 18, were discovered about a mile apart in the small community about 20 miles west of Vicksburg.

Washington’s body was found about 8:30 Friday night in a wooded area behind Wright Elementary School. Smith’s body was found Saturday morning behind a chain link fence in the back of Tallulah City Park.

Investigators have not said the means of death. The bodies of both victims were sent for autopsies, but results have not been announced.

“We don’t want to do anything to hinder the prosecution,” Dennis said this morning, citing the need for investigators to be able to verify with any suspect details only someone who committed the crimes would know.

Walker’s arrest came after a joint investigation by state police, the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Department, the Tallulah Police Department, the Sixth District Attorney’s Office and the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office, Dennis said.

He was arrested in Lake Providence, about 30 miles north of Tallulah, but it was not known if the arrest was at his residence. Dennis declined to release Walker’s address, and said it was not known if investigators have other suspects or might make additional arrests.

“We’re happy for the families that we have made an arrest,” said Dennis. Investigators won’t consider the case closed until it gets to court, however, he added.

The slayings rocked the city of Tallulah, a community of about 9,000 residents just north of Interstate 20, and gave rise to rumors and hearsay that caused authorities to issue public statements cautioning against making false reports that were wasting investigators’ time and resources.

One Tallulah man was beaten and shot at Sunday night in what Dennis called a possible attempt at “street justice,” though the man had not been identified by officials as a suspect.

Willie Brown, age and address unavailable, was treated and released from Madison Parish Hospital following the beating by three unidentified men dressed in black, Dennis said.

Smith’s family members reportedly accused Brown of being responsible for her death in retaliation for her cooperation in an investigation that resulted in Brown being indicted for forcible rape by a Madison Parish grand jury about a year ago. Brown reportedly bonded out of jail recently.