7 people found dead in Oklahoma during search for missing teens
Authorities found the bodies of seven people Monday on a rural property in Oklahoma during a search for two missing teens and an adult man, officials said.
The property is just east of Henryetta, roughly 50 miles south of Tulsa, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.
One of the bodies appeared to be that of Jesse McFadden, 39, Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice told reporters at the scene.
Rice said the medical examiner's office would confirm the identity of McFadden and the others.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol had circulated a missing person advisory listing McFadden and two teenage girls earlier Monday.
The advisory says Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, were last seen at 1:22 a.m. Monday at an address in Henryetta. They may have been traveling with McFadden in his white Chevy Avalanche, it said.
The advisory was canceled Monday afternoon.
A bench warrant had been issued Monday for McFadden in nearby Muskogee County when he failed to appear in court on charges of child pornography and soliciting sexual conduct/communication with a minor.
Court records show a jury trial in the case scheduled for Monday. A lawyer for McFadden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McFadden served nearly 17 years in prison after he was convicted of first-degree rape in 2003, state records show.
Rice said he believed authorities found all those who had been reported missing. He declined to say how many of the victims were juveniles, how they died or how long they had been at the property.
He said he had "no idea" what led to the deaths. He said it was "a tragic day in Okmulgee County."
The local school district said in a statement that it was "grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several of our students."
"Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days," Henryetta Public Schools said, adding that classes would continue and that grief counselors would be available.
Members of a task force from the local prosecutor’s office visited the property — a large, rural, wooded area — twice Monday after they learned that the missing teens may have been with someone associated with it, said Gerald Davidson, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson.
Authorities found the bodies during a second visit at 3 p.m. local time, he said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
