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

Nate Chute, Oklahoman
·3 min read
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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.”

What we know in Florida:Daytona Beach Shores police arrest Oklahoma man, person of interest in 4 homicides

Arrest of Joe Kennedy:Person of interest in Okmulgee deaths and dismemberments caught in Florida

Mark Chastain, Brian Chastain, Mike Sparks and Alex Stevens were reported missing after leaving on bicycles; police said they planned 'criminal act'

Family members told authorities the last time they saw the four men was when they left a residence on W Sixth Street on Sunday, Oct. 9, Prentice said.

Okmulgee police stated that Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain and Mike Sparks were reported missing by Mark Chastain's wife. A few hours later, Alex Stevens was reported missing by his mother.

Calls to their phones went straight to voicemail, police reported.

Authorities were searching for four missing men in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Billy Chastain, top left, Mark Chastain, Alex Stevens, and Mike Sparks, bottom left, have been missing since Sunday, Oct. 10.
Authorities were searching for four missing men in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Billy Chastain, top left, Mark Chastain, Alex Stevens, and Mike Sparks, bottom left, have been missing since Sunday, Oct. 10.

Investigators described the four men as being close friends and said that they planned to “commit some type of criminal act” when they left the Okmulgee residence Sunday. A witness told authorities about being invited to “hit a lick big enough for all of them,” Prentice said. Authorities have not said whether they know what criminal act was planned or where the men allegedly planned to do it.

Dismembered bodies found at Deep Fork River identified as four Okmulgee friends

Prentice said law enforcement discovered the bodies of four men on Friday, Oct. 14, after a passerby saw something "suspicious" in the water in the Deep Fork River a few miles southwest of the city of Okmulgee. Authorities have said the cause of death remains under investigation, but that "each victim suffered gunshot wounds."

“All four bodies were dismembered before being placed in the river and that is what caused difficulty in determining identity, and that’s why it took so long," Prentice said.

Officials are pictured Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, at the bridge where bodies were found in Okmulgee.
Officials are pictured Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, at the bridge where bodies were found in Okmulgee.

He said the river appeared to be a dump site, and the bodies may have been placed in the river on Oct. 9 or 10.

“Whenever water is involved, it makes it much more difficult to identify evidence,” he said.

Joseph Kennedy, salvage yard owner, arrested

Authorities named Joseph Lloyd Kennedy II a person of interest in the case on Monday, Oct. 17. Police reportedly discovered evidence of a violent event while searching his salvage yard on 20th Street. By Oct. 18, the 67-year-old man was arrested in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, according to the Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office.

The law enforcement department said he was arrested with a vehicle that had been reported stolen back in Oklahoma. Authorities did not identify the vehicle, but did note that Kennedy's blue Chrysler PT Cruiser was discovered in Morris, just east of Okmulgee.

Prentice said authorities interviewed Kennedy on Oct. 14 and he denied knowing the men who were found dead.

As of this writing, Kennedy remains in custody in Volusia County, Florida, and is being held without bond.

He previously pled guilty to an assault and battery with a deadly weapon in 2012. In that case, Kennedy told deputies he caught six alleged burglars at his salvage yard and shot one of them.

The Oklahoman is seeking more information on the 2012 incident from Okmulgee County District Court.

Okmulgee is capital city of Muscogee Creek Nation

Located 38 miles south of Tulsa, Okmulgee is the capital city of the Muscogee Creek Nation, a federally recognized Native American Tribe. The city has a population of more than 11,000 residents.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Okmulgee killings: 4 friends found dead in Oklahoma river; what we know