Four missing Oklahoma men found dismembered in river, police say

[Judi Lynn]

Investigators determined the victims died from gunshot wounds before they were dumped in the Deep Fork River

Guardian staff and agencies
Mon 17 Oct 2022 22.12 EDT

Dismembered bodies found in the Deep Fork River in Oklahoma have been identified as those of four men reported missing last week, the local police chief said on Monday, adding: “This is now a murder investigation.”

Investigators found the first remains on Friday and determined over the weekend that the victims died from gunshot wounds before they were cut up and dumped into the river, Okmulgee police chief Joe Prentice said at a news conference.

“All four bodies were dismembered before being placed in the river and that is what caused the difficulty in determining identity,” Prentice said. “The river appears to be a dump site. This is now a murder investigation.”

. . .

The men were reported missing on 9 October after leaving Billy Chastain’s home in Okmulgee on bicycles around 8pm. Okmulgee is a city of roughly 11,000 people 40 miles (64 km) south of Tulsa.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/17/dismembered-bodies-oklahoma-river-four-missing-men

[SalamanderSleeps]

1. "This is now a murder investigation."

Being from Montana I've always understood that rural America can get pretty violent.

Still, bicycles and dismemberment are words that rarely find themselves in the same sentence.

Weird, grim, times.

Here's some more info from buzzfeed -https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/oklahoma-missing-men-killed-dismembered

[tblue37]

2. From the linked article:

Prentice said investigators believe the men intended to “commit some sort of criminal act” that night. A witness told police that the men invited him to join them and would “hit a lick big enough for all of them”.

[Girard442]

3. "Authorities are now openly speculating about the possibility of foul play"

Insert your own DOJ joke here.

[Scrivener7]

4. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in the South Bronx thinking, "Red states are too scary for me."

[Ferryboat]

5. Someone didn't want to share the road.

Drivers can be pretty aggressive toward bicycles at times.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Man wanted for questioning in 4 Oklahoma deaths is arrested

Man wanted for questioning in 4 Oklahoma deaths is arrested

By KEN MILLER
yesterday

OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) — A man wanted for questioning about the deaths and dismemberment of four men in eastern Oklahoma has been arrested in Florida, police said Tuesday.

Joe Kennedy, 67, was arrested Monday in Daytona Beach Shores while driving a stolen vehicle, according to a statement by Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice.

Prentice has described Kennedy as a “person of interest” in the deaths of Mark Chastain, 32, Billy Chastain, 30, Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29.

Prentice declined to say Kennedy is a suspect, and he has not been charged in Oklahoma, but will be brought back to the state for questioning.

{snip}

Four dead friends in an Oklahoma river: What we know about the Okmulgee killings

Nate Chute Oklahoman
Published: 5:04 p.m. CT Oct. 18, 2022 | Updated: 1:29 p.m. CT Oct. 19, 2022

An arrest has been made, but questions remain after the bodies of four men were found dismembered in an Oklahoma river days after family reported them missing.

Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said he has investigated dozens of murders throughout his career, but the case involving bodies found at the Sharp Bridge Road near Okmulgee stands out.

“I’ve worked over 80 murders in my career," Prentice said. "I have worked murders involving multiple victims. I have worked dismemberments. But this case involves the highest number of victims, and it’s a very violent event.”

{snip}