Police in Oklahoma confirmed that the four bodies found in the Deep Fork River on Friday are Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain, Mike Sparks, and Alex Stevens.
Okmulgee Police say all four men were found to have gunshot wounds and that they were partially dismembered. Okmulgee police say the river appears to have been the dump site of what is now a murder investigation.
According to Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice, they are looking for Joe Kennedy as a person of interest but so far, no charges have been filed.
The remains were located outside of Okmulgee, which is about 40 miles south of Tulsa.
All four were shot and identifications were slowed because their bodies had been dismembered, according to Prentice.
The investigation led police over the weekend to a scrap yard.
“Nothing remarkable was observed inside the salvage yard, but evidence of a violent event was discovered on an adjoining property,” Prentice said.
The chief named the salvage yard owner, Joe Kennedy, as a “person of interest,” who detectives are seeking to interview.
Kennedy was reported missing Saturday night “and may be suicidal,” according to Prentice.
The man’s blue Chrysler PT Cruiser was found “abandoned behind a business in” Morris, Oklahoma, police later said.
“Investigators are looking into how it came to be there,” according to a police statement. “Currently we have no vehicle information for Kennedy.”
Prentice stopped just short of calling Kennedy dangerous.
“I don’t have any evidence to indicate that Mr. Kennedy is a threat to anyone else,” the chief said. “But I would use caution if anyone sees Mr. Kennedy, please call the local authorities.”
A majority of the remains were found on Friday but some body parts weren’t recovered until Sunday and Monday morning, police said. The men’s bikes have not yet been recovered.
The victims’ loved ones had already readied themselves for positive identifications, but the gruesome details of the men’s deaths stunned them.
“The additional information about the dismemberment was obviously a shock,” Prentice said. “They were very distraught.”
Prentice promised loved ones that police will continue pressing forward with the same dedication, even as this has turned from a missing person to a murder investigation.
Chief Prentice was also able to add new information about the men, uncovered during the missing person investigation.
Prentice says the men planned to commit some kind of criminal act when they left a residence on West 6th St. He says a witness told investigators that they were invited to go with the men to “hit a lick big enough for all of them.” Police say they do not know exactly what they were planning.
“We have worked around the clock all week,” the chief said. “We were out all weekend and we will continue to work at the same pace that we’ve been working to try to find out exactly what happened to their lives and who did it.”
Kennedy is said to be driving a blue PT Cruiser with the license plate LSA245. Police do not believe Kennedy is a threat but are asking anyone with information to call the police at 918-756-3511 or email: tips@okmcity.net
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