Police confirm Jesse McFadden fatally shot six prior to killing himself

Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman
·2 min read
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Joe Prentice, Okmulgee police chief, speaks May 3 at a news conference after seven bodies were found in Henryetta.

An Oklahoma sex offender who was released from prison early shot his wife, her three children and their two friends in the head and then killed himself, authorities confirmed Wednesday as concerns grew about why he was free in the first place.

Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said that the victims had sustained between one and three wounds to the head when they were found Monday on a rural Oklahoma property. Jesse McFadden, a 39-year-old convicted sex offender, then shot himself, Prentice said in the first major update on the case. No suicide note was found, authorities report.

On Wednesday, authorities identified the six victims as his wife, Holly Guess, 35, and her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13; as well as Tiffany's friends Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15.

Authorities said McFadden shot his victims in the head, some two or three times, before turning the weapon on himself.

The victims' bodies were found near a creek and in a heavily wooded area. Holly Guess, Tiffany Guess, Michael Mayo and McFadden were found in the same area, and Ivy Webster, Brittany Brewer and Rylee Allen were spread out in the woods. The victims hadn't been restrained, officials report, and they did not note any defensive wounds.

Authorities report they were shot with a 9 mm handgun, which was found near McFadden, and it had been purchased in January 2022 by Holly Guess.

“The evidence is that Jesse McFadden murdered six people and then killed himself. Beyond that, I don’t know what his thought process was," Prentice said. “I’m not going to express a theory because I follow the evidence, and I don’t have any evidence about what the motive was.”

McFadden was last seen in Henryetta Saturday night, police said, and there's no evidence that another person was involved in committing the crime.

Fundraisers set up for victims

A GoFundMe is set up for Ivy Webster, who leaves behind her parents and three siblings.

Brittany's father, Nathan Brewer, said a GoFundMe is set up for his daughter, but also that Buffalo Wild Wings in Tulsa and Oklahoma City offered to cover the costs of Brittany's and Ivy's funerals. Brittany's GoFundMe says the funds will be for "other expenses they will undoubtedly incur at this time."

A GoFundMe is also set up for 35-year-old Holly Guess, and Holly's children, 17-year-old Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 15-year-old Michael James Mayo and 13-year-old Tiffany Dore Guess.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Police confirm murder-suicide left 7 dead