Police find multiple human remains in Oklahoma river amid search for four missing men

(OKMULGEE, Okla.) — The Okmulgee Police Department recovered four male bodies from a river on Friday. The discovery came as police search for four close friends in Oklahoma after their mysterious disappearance last Sunday.

Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29, were last seen leaving one of their homes in Okmulgee around 8 p.m. Sunday reportedly riding bicycles, according to the Okmulgee Police Department. Both of the Chastain men and Sparks were reported missing by one of their spouses during the overnight hours on Monday, police said. Stevens’ mother contacted authorities a few hours later also to report her son’s disappearance.

The bodies recovered from the river are being taken to the medical examiner’s office in Tulsa for autopsy.

No identifications were made at the scene and the medical examiner will have to make the official identifications, according to police.

In a press conference, Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said a passerby noticed suspicious items in the river near Sharp Road and reported it just before 2 p.m. on Friday.

Officers responded and discovered what appeared to be multiple human remains partially submerged in a river, he said.

The families of the missing men were notified of the discovery, but police were not able to make an identification at the scene.  

Both of the Chastain men and Sparks were reported missing by one of their spouses during the overnight hours on Monday, police said. Stevens’ mother contacted authorities a few hours later also to report her son’s disappearance.

The Okmulgee Police Department gathered video and additional GPS information and followed up on potential sightings on Thursday, but said they were unable to confirm any reported sightings of the men.

According to investigators, two of the men are believed to have cellphones with them, however, attempts to contact them go straight to voicemail.

Chastain’s cellphone was tracked to an area south of Okmulgee, but was turned off or lost power at some point. Officers checked the area, but found no sign of the men, police said.

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