Found Deceased OK - Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain, Mike Sparks, Alex Stevens, Okmulgee, 9 Oct 2022

[otto]

There was a body found at the salvage yard as well??? I have some catching up to do.

Not sure that's factual. It was mentioned by one reporter (linked upthread), but he might have been jumping to conclusions. There is no second confirmation of what the one reporter said.

It's quite possible that police activity was related to discovering a crime scene, and not another body.

 

[Mojito]

Snipped from video at link - Search for four missing men continues in Okmulgee County

• Pings from Mark's phone indicate they went to a salvage yard, just a couple miles south and spent three hours at that location, before heading to another salvage yard just off Hwy 75.
• Marks phone was shut off at the second salvage yard. The phone still had 28% battery life.

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phone shows it/the men spent 3 hours at the scrapyard.

If the 4 were murdered, and murdered by a local, why dump the bodies in a local nearby shallow river (bed)? where the bodies of the 4 were sure to be soon discovered quickly turning this into a murder investigation sooner rather than later. And how is it the perps or the victims themselves weren't seen on surveillance video?

It seems, imo, that the 4 men were expected and killed quickly. This appears more nefarious than just stealing scrap metal.
Imo, the killers were not local and are well out of town by now. Moo

I agree it makes no sense to murder FOUR men then carelessly toss them off the bridge into shallow still water unless you want to send a message. A message that you don't care about hiding their bodies. Flaunting the killings?

 

[jay716]

This is just behind the salvage yard. Is this the sort of place where someone might set up a meth lab? I'm not assuming that you know anything about meth labs, but my knowledge is limited to Breaking Bad.

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Google Map

Not sure about here, but in Mexico they do in fact go into the woods and cook in large vats under tarps. There was a documentary with an episode about that specifically on Hulu. I'll try to find the link.

 

[jay716]

Not sure about here, but in Mexico they do in fact go into the woods and cook in large vats under tarps. There was a documentary with an episode about that specifically on Hulu. I'll try to find the link.

It was on Trafficked with Marianna van Zeller. Season 2, episode 5.

 

[otto]

It was on Trafficked with Marianna van Zeller. Season 2, episode 5.

Thank you! I'll look for it.

I found it surprising that the families reported the 30 year old men missing so quickly. A 30 year old man who doesn't come home after a night-time bike ride with friends doesn't sound like a police matter. It's easy to think maybe they hit the pubs or got carried away into the morning hours and were sleeping it off until the afternoon.

I wonder what caused the families to be concerned so quickly, and what else police might know about the reason for their evening outing.

 

[OkieThrowaway]

A 30 year old man who doesn't come home after a night-time bike ride with friends doesn't sound like a police matter. It's easy to think maybe they hit the pubs or got carried away into the morning hours

Well, you have to consider where this is at. There’s not much legitimate business going on in these small towns after dark. Outside of say, OKC or Tulsa, there is not a lot of nightlife. The college towns (Norman, Stillwater, Tahlequah, etc) will have a hopping night life. Not Okmulgee or Muskogee or Checotah, though. Not saying anyone out in these towns after dark is up to no-good. Just saying there literally isn’t anything open, for example Mickey Dees and Walmart close at 2300 in these rural areas.

Also, if the behavior (staying out late) was out of character for the group of men, or since none could be reached by cellphone - it would certainly be a red flag for family members.

 

[OkieThrowaway]

what else police might know about the reason for their evening outing.

I think that right there, is the “million dollar question”. If the men intended to participate in unsavory behavior and the family members knew this, the family would be very concerned about their lack of returning home. If that scenario were true, the law enforcement will hold that information very near and dear until the case is solved.

I can’t imagine the families having to wait. You know it’s probably going to be bad news, but you hope against hope, it will not be.

 

[jay716]

I think that right there, is the “million dollar question”. If the men intended to participate in unsavory behavior and the family members knew this, the family would be very concerned about their lack of returning home. If that scenario were true, the law enforcement will hold that information very near and dear until the case is solved.

I can’t imagine the families having to wait. You know it’s probably going to be bad news, but you hope against hope, it will not be.

Agreed. The killers may not even still be in town. If they haven't made positive identification yet, I can't think of any reason other than they were dismembered or mutilated.

 

[5W's]

I’m guessing there will be an arrest by the end of the week <modsnip: not victim friendly>

It may be that these four men were just letting off some steam or wanted a little different scenery from home at the end of a week and happened to cyle with their bikes on a rural area with no traffic or CCTV. And just happened to stumble accross someone who wanted to rob them with a gun. The perp took their bikes, robbed them of what they had and killed them to leave no trace or witnesses, this perp probably had help and may have been driving in a vehicle.

 

[Cryptic]

A bicycle cart may be able to carry a large amount of stuff, but you still gotta haul it. Scrap metal will be heavy!

I am starting to think that theft from the scrap yard was likely.

Rural Oklahoma is poor. So theft ventures that a "crew" from a more prosperous area would immediately consign to the "Not Worth our Time" bin, could still be worthy of consideration in rural Oklahoma.

Whether full parts or scrap metal, the possible easily accessible loot was very likely to be heavy (as you indicated), unwieldy with out cutting into more manageable pieces and..... of low dollar value.

 

[5W's]

I think a single bike trailer could hold hundreds of dollars of stolen scrap metal and cc's. And there is no need to 'break down' the scrap metal. A CC is all one piece and costs a thousand or more to replace, and can fetch a few hundred from a salvage yard.

The profit is quite high:

"A catalytic converter is an essential emissions control part and is a key component inspected during a Smog Check. It contains rare metals responsible for converting smog-causing pollutants that pass through a vehicle’s exhaust system into less harmful compounds. Because these metals have a high recycle value, catalytic converter theft has become increasingly common.

Experienced thieves can remove a catalytic converter in one to two minutes using basic tools. What can net a thief hundreds of dollars at a scrapyard or recycler can then cost you thousands of dollars to replace, depending on the make and model of your vehicle. Learn more below on how you can protect your catalytic converter and prepare for your vehicle’s next Smog Check."

Catalytic Converter Theft and the Smog Check Program

Learn how you can protect your catalytic converter and prepare for your vehicle’s next Smog Check

www.bar.ca.gov

And check this out:

There was a recent bust in Fresno, Ca, where LE seized 17 pallets of Converters, 5 people arrested, and there was FOUR MILLION DOLLARS worth of illegal cc's seized.

But one would need the tools. Plus I don't know anything about catalytic converters to be honest but in an old scrap car wouldn't the precious metal be less than say a newer car? I suppose we would have to factor that in as well. So would it really be worth it to go find the right car/s.

 

[Stunned]

Agreed. The killers may not even still be in town. If they haven't made positive identification yet, I can't think of any reason other than they were dismembered or mutilated.

IMO, the examples have been made.

 

[5W's]

Because criminals aren't that smart. They might be good at killing, but aren't that good at hiding bodies. They've killed four grown men...Now what? It's a lot of work to get rid of a body.

Wayne Williams was local and he dumped his victims in the Chattahoochee River. His victims were children. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Williams

John Wayne Gacy also dumped victims in the Des Plaines River after his crawl space was full.

IDK if these ones are not smart to evade CCTV & all detection by messing with phone location they knew what they were doing IMO.

 

[OkieThrowaway]

And just happened to stumble accross someone who wanted to rob them with a gun.

That is possible. Everybody here packs heat, both “good guys” and “bad guys”.

Plus I don't know anything about catalytic converters to be honest but in an old scrap car wouldn't the precious metal be less than say a newer car?

The precious metals (platinum, palladium, and rhodium) in the cats are what is valuable. They are very rare, and worth much more than gold. Some car’s cats are worth more, like a Prius, because the hybrids have more of the metals. I don’t believe these men were stealing cats from one junkyard, to resell them to the other junkyard. Was it confirmed the same person owned both yards? That just doesn’t make sense, and would be quickly found out.

 

[5W's]

Video: Loved ones are left with questions after human remains were recovered from a river near Okmulgee

Either in that interview, with a segment removed in editing, or during his [BH's] interview with another network he added that the people in this town know "who they are." Street Fighters" Does that indicate they're bullies around town?

Wonder why one of their bodies was found at the salvage yard 3.6 miles away from the river? [Thanks, @Elley Mae ] Does that indicate that 4 others were in the water; therefore, we have five dead victims located?

I think most of the locals know exactly what these guys had been doing over the years. Some type of unsavory behavior may have led to their demise.

I'd like to see an image of one of the bicycles with the trailer attached. My morbid curiosity wants to view the images taken from the bridge of the bodies in the water.

We don't have any information on what they did in life as in nefarious. I think we would have heard something by now. But maybe it wasn't a fifth but body part/s? Or another victim of a robber/s as I am speculating in a car with a gun/s. By street fighters BH could have meant Street Wise/Smart?

 

[5W's]

Thank you! I'll look for it.

I found it surprising that the families reported the 30 year old men missing so quickly. A 30 year old man who doesn't come home after a night-time bike ride with friends doesn't sound like a police matter. It's easy to think maybe they hit the pubs or got carried away into the morning hours and were sleeping it off until the afternoon.

I wonder what caused the families to be concerned so quickly, and what else police might know about the reason for their evening outing.

Because they are average family men.

 

[Friday Fan]

That is possible. Everybody here packs heat, both “good guys” and “bad guys”.



The precious metals (platinum, palladium, and rhodium) in the cats are what is valuable. They are very rare, and worth much more than gold. Some car’s cats are worth more, like a Prius, because the hybrids have more of the metals. I don’t believe these men were stealing cats from one junkyard, to resell them to the other junkyard. Was it confirmed the same person owned both yards? That just doesn’t make sense, and would be quickly found out.

I agree. This is how this works.
People are having to park their vehicles in their garages. My friend went in a building for 10 minutes. He came out and his CC was stolen. It is a major problem. I'm surprised hubby hasn't had his stolen.

 

[vls12345]

Looking at aerial views, the bridge/river area seems pretty isolated. I am not sure the bodies were placed in muddy water in a remote looking location to send a message. It seems more like hiding them to me. MOO.

 

[Warwick7]

This just made my stomach hurt. This would not surprise me one bit.

Thank you for the local insight! Four dead 30 year old men, described by someone who knew them as accomplished "fighters", gives the impression that they encountered more than one person. That seems like the only explanation for how they were put into some sort of vehicle and transported to the river, then piled into the river.

The odd fact seems to be that they were on bicycles. Was that so they could sneak up on someone, or so they could flee easily off-road in four different directions if they ran into trouble? Bikes aren't helpful when encountering someone with a gun.

 

[DeDee]

Because criminals aren't that smart. They might be good at killing, but aren't that good at hiding bodies. They've killed four grown men...Now what? It's a lot of work to get rid of a body.
rsbm

True that getting rid of the body after killing someone is a hurdle that must be cleared. Not one, but four bodies were disposed of in the water. Not an easy feat accomplished on these four strong fighters.

Whoever made this intimidating exhibit out of these four men in the muddy river did not care one iota who saw what was done to them. They want the community to feel fear by this display of power and terror. Their four bodies were left in a shallow river out in the open; not hidden in the bushes.

That is bold action and brazen behavior not typically observed in the area. moo
.