Oklahoma: 4 Missing Men Shot and Dismembered Before Being Thrown to River in ‘Violent’ Murder

A violent shooting at a scrapyard in Oklahoma has led to the deaths of four close friends. They were initially reported as missing but were soon discovered to be shot, dismembered, and thrown in a river, say police.

According to ABC News, the four victims were all residents of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. They are Mark Chastain, 32, Billy Chastain, 30, Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29. They were last seen leaving their homes in Okmulgee, reportedly riding bicycles.

Their bodies were found already chopped up in a river on Friday. Aside from being dismembered, authorities also found that their bodies had gunshot wounds.

Person of Interest Identified To Be the Owner of an Oklahoma Scrapyard, Now Missing

Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice conducted a news conference on Monday and stated that the owner of the scrapyard where the four friends were shot, Joe Kennedy, is now a person of interest in the quadruple murder case. However, when authorities tried talking to him, he was already gone and is now missing.

Police Chief Prentice stressed, however, that while Kennedy has been named as a person of interest, he is not considered a suspect for now.

However, in the latest development to the investigation, Fox 23 reported that Kennedy's blue PT Cruiser has been found abandoned near Morris, Oklahoma. He is still currently not in custody. Another Fox 23 report stated that he may also be suicidal.

The case may be the grisliest murder in the history of Okmulgee, as Chief Prentice stated, "I've worked over 80 murders in my career ... but this case involves the highest number of victims and it's a very violent event."

Victims Might Have Been Planning a Crime, Say Police

The Okmulgee Police Department stated that Mark and Billy Chastain were reported missing by one of their spouses during the overnight hours on Monday. Meanwhile, Stevens's mother also contacted authorities to report her son's disappearance a few hours later. This led to the Okmulgee Police Department conducting a search for the four missing men.

On Thursday, the police started gathering videos and additional GPS information. They also followed up on potential sightings but were unable to confirm any reported sightings of any of the four friends. Police also submitted search warrants for phone records, as well as warrants for their Facebook accounts in an effort to locate them.

However, it turned from a missing persons investigation into a murder investigation on Friday when their dismembered bodies were found in a river.

During his press conference on Monday, Chief Prentice stated that the victims were planning to commit a crime on the night they were missing. They cited that they asked another individual to participate in that crime but declined their offer. However, the police chief also stated that he did not know what sort of crime the four were planning.

Chief Prentice also stated that there is still no indication whether the four victims had any relationship with them, with Kennedy denying that he even knew them.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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