Human Stays Discovered as Police Seek for 4 Lacking Associates

Human stays have been present in a small Oklahoma city as native police seek for 4 males who disappeared whereas on a motorcycle journey.

The Okmulgee Police Division introduced earlier this week that 4 pals — Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32; and Alex Stevens, 29 — had been lacking since Sunday.

In a press briefing captured by 2 Information in Oklahoma, Okmulgee police chief Joe Prentice mentioned on Friday that round 1:49 p.m. native time, authorities had been alerted to “suspicious objects within the river within the space of the bridge that goes throughout Sharp Highway.”

As soon as police arrived on the scene, they discovered “what seems to be a number of human stays within the river,” Prentice mentioned, including that different native businesses are additionally serving to with the “restoration course of.”

“At the moment, we’ve extra questions than solutions,” he mentioned.

The households of the 4 males who went lacking earlier this week had been notified in regards to the stays; nonetheless, it has not been confirmed whose stays had been discovered by authorities.

“If it seems that these 4 lacking males are the stays within the river, then the main focus of our investigation will shift from discovering them to what occurred to them,” mentioned the police chief. “Whether it is decided that it isn’t them, then we may have a separate investigation.”

He mentioned that whereas “a number of” stays had been discovered, it is tough to find out the quantity as a result of they had been all within the river. As soon as police end canvassing the realm, they’ll know extra.

“There may be undoubtedly what seems to be physique elements protruding from the water; I am unable to let you know what’s underneath the water,” he mentioned.

He famous that police had been referred to as after “a passerby noticed one thing that regarded suspicious within the water and referred to as dispatch.”

Prentice mentioned that the river was not one of many places the 4 males’s households had beforehand talked about through the search.

The stays had been nonetheless within the river on the time of the press briefing, and Prentice mentioned they will keep there “for a while” as authorities full the restoration course of. “Now we have to be very, very meticulous.”

He recommended that the brand new growth is sufficient proof to now take into account foul play; nonetheless, he reiterated that police have but to verify that the stays are certainly the lacking males. He added that, when he was on the scene, he didn’t see any bicycles. As for when the boys had been final heard from, Prentice confirmed that Chastain final spoke with somebody on the telephone at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

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“Now we have had many, many experiences of sightings; we have not been capable of verify any,” he mentioned.

“We’re not giving up,” he added. “If these are your family members, all we’re doing is switching focus. We’re gonna work simply as exhausting to search out out what occurred to them as we did to attempt to discover them.”

The Okmulgee Police Division advised PEOPLE they don’t have anything additional so as to add at the moment.

In a earlier assertion saying that the men were missing, the Okmulgee Police Division mentioned, “All 4 are shut pals and are believed to have left Billy Chastain’s house on the west facet of Okmulgee on Sunday at round 8 PM. All had been reportedly on bicycles. Two of the boys are believed to have cell telephones with them, however makes an attempt to name go straight to voicemail.”

Mark, Billy, and Mike had been reported lacking by Mark’s spouse on Monday evening, whereas Alex’s mom reported him a number of hours later.

The division mentioned there have been no indicators of foul play at that time within the investigation, however they had been receiving assist from the District 25 Violent Crime Job Pressure.

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Because of interviews with potential witnesses, investigators positioned Steve at a smoke store in south Okmulgee late Sunday afternoon. One other witness reported seeing Billy and Mark close to a neighborhood YMCA on Monday morning. Okmulgee police mentioned they’re working to verify the sightings.

Mark’s cellphone was traced to an space in South Okmulgee, nevertheless it was since turned off or misplaced energy.

“Officers have checked that space and located no signal of any of the boys,” Okmulgee police mentioned within the assertion.