Police searching for two missing teenagers in rural Oklahoma have found seven bodies, including those thought to be of the teens and a convicted sex offender who was also sought.
Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said the state medical examiner will have to confirm the identities of the victims, but “we believe that we have found the persons."
Sheriff Rice said Monday the bodies were believed to include those of 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer, along with Jesse McFadden, who authorities had said the teens were travelling with.
“We are no longer looking," he said.
“We believe to have found everything that we were seeking this morning. Our hearts go out to the families and friends, schoolmates and everyone else."
He declined to provide details of how they died or other details.
The bodies were found Monday during a search near the town of Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 located about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City.
A missing endangered person advisory had been issued earlier in the day for the two teenagers.
The advisory had said the two teenagers were reportedly seen travelling with McFadden, who was on the state’s sex offender registry.
Prison records show McFadden was convicted of first-degree rape in 2003 and released in October 2020.
He had been scheduled to appear in court Monday for the start of a jury trial on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography.
Brittany Brewer’s father told the KOTV station in Tulsa that one of the bodies discovered was his daughter.
“Brittany was an outgoing person. She was actually selected to be Miss Henryetta ... coming up in July for this Miss National Miss pageant in Tulsa. And now she ain’t gonna make it because she’s dead. She’s gone,” Nathan Brewer said.
At a Monday night vigil, Brewer told hundreds of people: “It’s just a parent’s worst nightmare, and I’m living it."
He said his daughter had aspired to be a teacher or a veterinarian.
“I am just lost," he added.
Henryetta Public Schools posted on Facebook and its website that it is grieving over the loss of several of its students.
“Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days," the note said.
