A mystery over the identities of seven bodies found in a home in rural Oklahoma began to dissipate Tuesday as authorities called off a search for a convicted sex offender and two missing teenage girls.
While the circumstances of the homicides remained unclear, authorities believed the missing girls were in a home belonging to Jesse McFadden, 39, a felon rapist.
The bodies found in Henryetta, a small town south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, have not yet been formally identified. But authorities believe that Jesse McFadden and the two girls, ages 14 and 16, are among the victims.
“We think we found everything we were looking for this morning,” Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said at a news conference Monday, referring to a “tragedy.”
One woman, Janette Mayo, said Tuesday on Facebook that her daughter and three grandchildren were also among the victims, in addition to the two teens.
Her daughter was married to Jesse McFadden, whom Mayo called a “monster.”
“My daughter loved her children and yes, she married the man who killed them, but she was fooled by his charm,” Mayo wrote.
The two missing teens were friends with one of Jesse McFadden’s stepdaughters and had gone to spend the night at their home, according to Fox 23.
The state highway patrol had issued a missing persons bulletin earlier Monday saying the two girls were last seen at 1:22 am (0622 GMT) in Henryetta and were both possibly traveling in a white Chevrolet Avalanche with McFadden.
McFadden was convicted of rape in 2003, and in a separate case accused of possessing child pornography and attempting to obtain sex with a minor.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday for those charges, but never showed up, according to media reports.
The father of one of the missing girls, Nathan Brewer, confirmed to local station KOTV that his daughter had passed away.
“Brittany was an outgoing person,” he said Monday, explaining that she was scheduled to compete in a local beauty pageant soon.
“And now… she’s dead. She’s gone.”
