A sordid discovery, several mysteries. Seven bodies were found Monday in Oklahoma, United States, during a police search for two missing teenage girls who were allegedly seen with a sex offender. What happened ? How is the investigation progressing? What mysteries behind these discoveries? 20 minutes review the case.
What happened in Oklahoma?
It all starts with disturbing news: the disappearance of two teenage girls, Ivy Webster and Brittany Brewer, aged 14 and 16 respectively. A wanted notice is issued Monday, saying the two girls were last seen around 1:20 a.m. in the town of Henryetta and may be in a white Chevrolet, driven by Jesse L. McFadden.
The police comb the city, located south of Tulsa and decide to go to the property of the 39-year-old man, unfavorably known to their services. A macabre discovery awaits them: seven dead bodies are found.
“Everyone is dead, including McFadden,” Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice told the local newspaper. Tulsa World. The seven bodies have not been formally identified but the authorities have decided to stop the search for the missing. “We think we found everything we were looking for this morning,” said the sheriff, specifying the opening of a homicide investigation. Despite the lack of confirmation, the families of the teenagers have been notified, details Tulsa World, while the sheriff said he “believes” that the bodies of the young girls are in the mass grave.
Who was the main suspect, probably found dead?
He is suspected of having, at the very least, kidnapped the teenage girls. 39-year-old Jesse L. McFadden is a sex offender. According to the daily The Oklahoman, the man’s criminal record includes a conviction for rape of which he was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. While in custody, he was accused in 2016 of communicating via mobile phone with a 16-year-old girl. This man with a disturbing profile was released in 2020.
Since his release from prison, McFadden has been talked about again. He was also scheduled to appear in court on Monday in Muskogee County on charges including “child pornography and attempting to solicit sexual behavior or communication with a minor using technology,” according to the report. New York Times. But the man did not show up for the hearing. Although his body has not been formally identified, the sheriff said the suspect was found dead at his home, along with the other six bodies.
Is the mystery surrounding the motive of the crime solved?
The seven dead bodies found by investigators have provided some answers. But many questions remain to be clarified, both on the motive for the crime and on the identification of the four other bodies found.
Since taking office 20 years ago, Sheriff Rice has never seen anything “of this magnitude”. The authorities claim to follow several leads to try to unravel this mystery. Especially since this tragedy comes only seven months after the opening of another murder investigation. As reminded The Oklahomanfour Okmulgee men were found shot, dismembered, and thrown into a river.