[A deputy] goes, 'No, what?' 20It's hard to sit at my desk and contain my emotions as I watch the story unfold out of McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Saturday morning is the Earth Day Extravaganza at Sunshine Plant Co. "They are insignificant in my life, really," Manning says. "Crime is a bad problem and meth is a big part of it," Sanders said. Double homicide deceased identified, two murder Kevin Stitt is calling for the resignations of four officials in southeast Oklahoma after a newspaper's audio recording apparently captured some of them talking of knowing hit men and complaining about two of the paper's journalists. Christina Bennett, Unsolved Murder in Perhaps the most important piece was the memorial section a display of hundreds of journalists who had been killed while on assignment worldwide. MCCURTAIN COUNTY, OK (KSLA) - McCurtain County Sheriff's deputies are investigatinga deadly shooting. The category includes assaults, accidents and suicides. The worst year for Copyright 2015 KSLA. The county also is a state leader in deaths and injuries by firearms. Many deaths that are investigated by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner remain as Unidentified Persons, due to decomposition, fire, injuries, 1, in firearm-related injuries and homicides," said Sue Mallonee, the Health Department's longtime chief of injury prevention. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Deputies say they have a person of interest but have not released the person's name. "They don't have a G-- d--- clue what they're getting into," Jennings says. Stoewe and her two dogs perished in the fire, which was allegedly set by two men. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma's governor is seeking the resignation of four county officials after a newspaper's audio recording apparently captured some of them complaining about two of the paper's journalists and knowing hit men and where two holes are dug. Bruce Willingham said he has also turned over his audio recordings to the FBI and the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office and added he has had several conversations with federal investigators. "Yeah. The McCurtain Gazette-News, a print-only newspaper, released portions of the audio recording and a transcription along with the front-page expos over the weekend. His name has not been released at this time. Phone Numbers 863 Phone Numbers 863647 Phone Holly Cantrell, Unsolved 2017 Murder from Oklahoma Girl, 2, Last Seen 'Asleep or Unconscious' Being Carried by Mom from Drug House Is Likely Dead: Police, Oklahoma Mom of 2 Young Children Killed by Husband in Murder-Suicide: 'She Was a Great Mother', Missing Okla. Unsolved Mccurtain County Murders. That figures to 20.5 homicides per 100,000 population, easily the highest rate in the state. Kirkbride, a former Wyoming rancher who died recently, will be honored through the work and performances of regional poets, including two cowboy poets. Alicia Manning, District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix. McCurtain County had 169.8 firearms- related injuries per 100,000 population, well-ahead of second-place McClain County (80.0) and third-place Pushmataha County (76.9). Actually, McCurtain County's 20.5 homicides per 100,000 population is well ahead of the Oklahoma City or Tulsa areas. KANSAS: In 1970, 12-year-old Kelly Lynn Albright went missing and was found dead in a field in Reno County. Leah Mahseet, Unsolved Murder from Oklahoma in 1997. Five hours later, jurors came back into court with the WebThe Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is working a number of murders in rural parts of Oklahoma and many remain unsolved. ), "I know," Jennings says. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The event begins at 2 p.m. Sunday. County None of the four returned telephone calls or emails from The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment. I'd run for f-----g sheriff.". Jennings, who has been County Commissioner for District 2 since November 2020, started to discuss people wanting to run for sheriff. Joey Senat, a journalism professor at Oklahoma State University, said he was shocked to hear the comments made in the recording, especially in light of recent killings of journalists in the U.S., including the arrest last year of a Las Vegas-area elected official accused of fatally stabbing a veteran newspaper reporter who had been investigating him. Adair County Alfalfa County Atoka County Beaver County Beckham County Blaine County Bryan County Caddo County Canadian County Carter County Cherokee County Choctaw County s When reached by phone, the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office declined to provide a comment to PEOPLE but said that the FBI is now investigating the recording. Just before 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, a passerby called authorities reporting someone was lying in the road just outside Hayworth on Goodwater Highway. The most notorious unsolved crime McCurtain County deputies investigating deadly shooting Before I was a journalist, or even passionate about journalism, the Newseum had a role in showing me the impact that the profession can make on the world. Jurors deliberated about two hours late Tuesday before finding Michael Delozier guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. ", "Every Oklahoman has the right to live in safety and freedom without fear of injustice from local, state or national authorities," he continued. More than 100 people gathered outside the McCurtain County Courthouse in Idabel on Monday, with many of them calling for the sheriff and other county officials to resign. Mar 23rd David Lewis, Unsolved Murder from Oklahoma in 2017. First, there's the content of everything that the members of the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office and McCurtain County Board of County Commissioners discussed during an illegal meeting a stretch of audio that would fit well as an archived recording from the jailhouse of a pre-civil rights "sundown town." Missing Persons and Unidentified Bodies McCurtain County John Doe, Discovered in Oklahoma in 1989. Mar 23rd. County Mar 22nd. Oklahoma County had 12.5 homicides per 100,000 from 1992 to 2001, and Tulsa County had 8.2. McCurtain County also leads the state in injuries related to firearms for a 2 1/2-year period from January 2001 to June. Manning then responds and mentions Chris by name. The second question yielded better results, all compiled in a nifty column format on Wikipedia (that I did fact check), and it turned out to be worth the time. OSBI says 27-year-old Gary Dixon has been Their threats include lynching, burning and burying the reporters, of which the members joke that said graves are ready to be dug with one of the speakers' excavator. ", In a statement, U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said, "The recorded comments from community leaders in McCurtain County are reprehensible and embarrassing for the county and our state. The Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association announced that Sheriff Kevin Clardy, Sheriff's Investigator Alicia Manning and Trust Administrator Larry Hendrix have been suspended from the association. Mar 23rd. 20It's hard to sit at my desk and contain my emotions as I watch the story unfold out of McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Well, I couldn't find the answer to the first question, though I did gather that it's over 40 individuals. During the ensuing discussion, her wrapped remains were compared to barbecued food. According to the McCurtain Gazette-News, the story published over the weekend is the first in a planned series. Jennings then brings up the idea of hitmen, saying, "I've known two or three hitmen, they're very quiet guys and would cut no f-----g mercy.". "Since November things have been insane in McCurtain County," District Attorney Virginia Sanders said. Apr 11th The museum featured a room lined with every Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, an archive of authentic newspapers containing articles of events from the end of the Civil War and the sinking of the Titanic, to the assassination of president John F. Kennedy and the Boston Marathon bombing. Mullendore was beaten and shot to death on his ranch in Osage County back in 1970. Originally assigned to document Meredith's enrollment, Guihard soon turned his focus to the riot that broke out on campus. (Marston was the McCurtain County Sheriff in the 1980s, according to The Oklahoman. A Number Of Rural Oklahoma Murders Unsolved All rights reserved. The recording was taken after a March 6 county commissioners' meeting when county officials, including McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, commissioner Mark Jennings, Sheriff's Investigator Alicia Manning and Trust Administrator Larry Hendrix were talking after the meeting, but did not know they were being recorded. Another great resource is Project: Cold Case, who, in partnership with the Murder Accountability Project, produced a comprehensive list of all of the unsolved homicides in each state from 1980-2019. According to this list, there were around 11,922 murders in Oklahoma during that nearly 40-year time frame. MCCURTAIN COUNTY, Okla. (KTAL/KMSS) There are new details in the arrest of a McCurtain County man, WebAccess the Sexual Assault Kit Tracking system? A portion of the recording was released by the paper, and it also appears to capture one of the four making racist comments about Black people. Gov. If youre interested in true crime, most likely you may also be Oklahoma Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? But there's also the matter of this same group conspiring genuine or otherwise to kill two of the journalists employed at the small, family newspaper headquartered in Idabel, Oklahoma, a town that lies geographically nearer to Little Rock and Dallas, and is just over an hour drive from Texarkana. "This should be a reminder that we are all defined by who we are in private and in public.". ]", Jennings says he knows where two "big deep holes" are if "you ever need them." He had just attended a boxing But the numbers for Cimarron and Jefferson counties appear inflated by a suicide rate where those counties stand first and second. Renowned comedian and Cheyenne native Brandt Tobler is once again bringing his comedian friends to the stage at a local favorite brewery. "Not this day and age. Chaz Bearshield, Unsolved Murder from Oklahoma in 2012. Updated: Sep 19, 2019 / 07:00 PM CDT. Oklahoma County had 12.5 homicides per 100,000 from 1992 to 2001, and Tulsa County had 8.2. PEOPLE has reviewed the audio, but is unable to independently verify the speakers. I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County," Stitt said in a statement. April 17, 2023, 1:40 PM OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma's governor is seeking the resignation of four county officials after a newspaper's audio recording apparently captured some of them complaining about two of the paper's journalists and knowing hit men and where two holes are dug. The most prominent of these killings were five Vietnamese-American journalists Tried Le, Nhan Wrong Do, Tap Van Pham, Nguyen Dam Phong and Duong Trong Lam. "They bring no [inaudible. For $12, residents get the silent movie experience with a screening of four Laurel & Hardy films, featuring live musical accompaniment by Dave Niemann. IDABEL McCurtain County's state-leading homicide rate shows no signs of slowing down. The McCurtain Gazette reported that the new audio includes more talk of harming journalists, as well as discussion of intimidating the local prosecutor. Mar 23rd Eric McKay, Missing from Ontario since 1987. Senat said under Oklahoma law, the recording would be legal if it were obtained in a place where the officials being recorded did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Uncovered: Unsolved Murders By State It ranks second in firearm deaths on a per capita basis, behind Cimarron County and ahead of Jefferson County. "I don't know what the answer is.". MCCURTAIN COUNTY, OK (KSLA) - McCurtain County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a deadly shooting. UNSOLVED CHILD MURDER : CRYSTAL DAY KINDRICK So, while the world seems to become an increasingly dangerous place, you can find solace in knowing that there's plenty of opportunity to escape this weekend with some local events for all interests. Tupac Shakur. Bruce Willingham, the longtime publisher of the McCurtain Gazette-News, said the recording was made March 6 when he left a voice-activated recorder inside the room after a county commissioner's meeting because he suspected the group was continuing to conduct county business after the meeting had ended in violation of the state's Open Meeting Act. But you can't do that anymore. Oklahoma McCurtain is a distant 27th in the state. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Tonight is another Tobler and Friends Comedy Night at Black Tooth Brewing Co. Death Row, Oklahoma: How long could you wait for your This is Leah Rochelle Mahseet: Leah was 16 years old when she was last seen alive in Geary, Oklahoma on September 14th, 1997. The state average was 24.4 firearms-related injuries per 100,000 population.