HENRYETTA, Okla. — Authorities in this rural, eastern Oklahoma town were working Tuesday to identify four of the seven bodies discovered on property where the remains of two teens were found Monday, hours after they were reported missing.
Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said confirmation was pending but that two of the bodies were believed to be Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16. A third body was believed to be that of convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden, 39.
“We are no longer looking,” Rice said late Monday. “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.”
The teens were last in contact with family members Sunday morning. An Amber Alert for Webster and Brewer had said they were seen traveling with McFadden, who was on the state’s sex offender registry. No cause of death and few other details were released.
Developments:
∙ Identities of four of the deceased were not immediately available, but the local school district said it was mourning the loss of “several” students.
∙ The bodies were found during a search outside Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 people located 90 miles east of Oklahoma City.
Investigators hope to unravel mystery
Rice said his team was following leads to determine what led to the deaths. Ivy’s mother, Ashleigh Webster, said in a Facebook post early Monday that Ivy had been due home at around 5 p.m. Sunday from a trip to McAlester with a friend. She later posted that the girls were with McFadden. McAlester is about 40 miles south of Henryetta.
McFadden’s wife, stepdaughter and her two brothers also were missing, Tulsa-based KJRH.com reported.
“It’s a tragic day in Okmulgee County again, and we just ask that you pray for the families,” Rice said.
Henryetta schools mourn loss of ‘several’ students
Henryetta Public Schools offered issued a statement to students and parents “grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several students.” Classes were being Tuesday, an “extremely difficult” day, to ensure that students had access to grief counseling and the support of faculty and friends.
“We will have mental health professionals & faith-based clergy on hand, but we understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep your student at home,” the statement said. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”
Father of victim mourns burying daughter
Brittany’s father, Nathan Brewer, spoke at a vigil Monday night, telling 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. She was supposed to compete in a beauty pageant in July.
“I am just lost,” he said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be burying my own daughter.”
Who is Jesse McFadden?
Oklahoma Department of Corrections prison records show McFadden was convicted of first-degree rape 20 years ago and released in October 2020. In Oklahoma, first-degree rape is considered an “85%” crime, meaning offenders must serve at least 85% of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Records show McFadden was due Monday in Muskogee County District Court for a jury trial on one count of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor by use of technology and one count of possession of child pornography. McFadden failed to appear in court, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Contributing: Jana Hayes, Nate Chute and Jessie Christopher Smith, The Oklahoman; The Associated Press
