Cops were dispatched to the Duggar home in Arkansas just hours after Jim Bob's uncle died of a heart attack ... TMZ has learned.
Officers arrived at Jim Bob and Michelle's compound around 8:30 Sunday morning for a "follow-up investigation" about 2 hours after Jim Bob's uncle Tommy died.
According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, officers spoke to Tommy's husband, Lawrence, who told them Tommy had felt ill the night before and had fallen over multiple times. Lawrence claimed 75-year-old Tommy refused to go to the hospital because he was afraid he'd be put in a nursing home.
However, when he was in the bathroom Sunday morning, Lawrence claimed Tommy yelled for help before collapsing against the door unresponsive. Tommy was pronounced dead at home, and the report states he died of natural causes.
What's puzzling is why police went to Jim Bob and Michelle's home if Lawrence was already aware of the death. In fact, we've never known a case where cops paid a visit to other than next of kin to inform them someone died.
We've asked the Washington County Sheriff's Office for clarification ... so far, no word back.