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HENRYETTA, Okla. – The convicted rapist who was among the seven people found dead at his property in rural Oklahoma hid his criminal past until recent months and kept his family “basically under lock and key,” his mother-in-law said Tuesday.
Jesse McFadden, 39, was due in court for a different sex offense Monday, the day his body was found along with those of his wife, her three teenage children, and two visiting teens.
“My daughter loved her children and yes she married the man who killed them but she was fooled by his charm,” Janette Mayo, 59, of Westville, said in a Facebook post.
She told The Associated Press the sheriff’s office notified her late Monday that among the victims were her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13. Mayo said the sheriff’s office told her they had been shot to death.
Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said the other bodies found near the town of Henryetta were believed to include those of Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, along with McFadden, the felon with whom authorities said the teens had been traveling. Janette Mayo said both were close friends with Tiffany Guess and were spending the weekend with the family.
Mayo said it wasn’t until a few months ago the family learned of McFadden’s criminal history. He was on the state’s sex offender registry after being convicted of first-degree rape in 2003 and released in October 2020. Court records show McFadden was scheduled to appear in court Monday for the start of a jury trial on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography.
“He lied to my daughter, and he convinced her it was all just a huge mistake,” Mayo told AP by phone Tuesday. “He was very standoffish, generally very quiet, but he kept my daughter and the kids basically under lock and key. He had to know where they were at all times, which sent red flags up.”
Neither Rice’s office nor the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has said who was responsible for the deaths.
Webster and Brewer were last in contact with family members Sunday morning. An Amber Alert for them had said they were seen traveling with McFadden. No cause of death and few other details were released.
Developments:
∙ The local school district said it was mourning the loss of several students but held classes Tuesday.
∙ The bodies were found during a search outside Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 people 90 miles east of Oklahoma City.
Investigators hope to unravel mystery
Rice said his team was following leads to determine what led to the deaths. Webster’s mother, Ashleigh Webster, said in a Facebook post early Monday that Ivy had been due home at around 5 p.m. Sunday from a trip to McAlester with a friend. She later posted that the girls were with McFadden. McAlester is about 40 miles south of Henryetta.
Justin and Ashleigh Webster told The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, that their daughter was at a sleepover Saturday night with her best friend Tiffany Guess. The Websters live about a mile down the road from the property where McFadden lived and the bodies were found. The Websters said sleepovers were a regular occurrence between the girls, who had been friends for years.
“He wanted to hurt the people that he loved most,” Justin Webster said. “And our daughter was best friends with Tiffany, his daughter. They were inseparable, they did everything together. And I think he just wanted to act out at the world and take as many as he possibly can.”
Father of victim mourns burying daughter
Brittany’s father, Nathan Brewer, spoke at a vigil Monday night, telling hundreds of people, “It’s just a parent’s worst nightmare, and I’m living it.”
He said his daughter had aspired to be a teacher or a veterinarian. She was supposed to compete in a beauty pageant in July.
“I am just lost,” he said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be burying my own daughter.”
‘They let a monster out’: Who was Jesse McFadden?
Oklahoma Department of Corrections prison records show McFadden was convicted of first-degree rape 20 years ago and released in October 2020. In Oklahoma, first-degree rape is considered an “85%” crime, meaning offenders must serve at least 85% of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
McFadden failed to appear in Muskogee County District Court on Monday for his trial on two sex charges and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Court records show he was communicating with a then-16-year-old girl using a contraband cellphone while he was incarcerated at a state prison near Muskogee.
Justin Webster said McFadden was “weird” and controlling, but there was no indication he had a criminal background.
“The sexual (offender) registry doesn’t work,” he said. “I think there needs to be action taken. There needs to be repercussions, and someone needs to be held accountable. They let a monster out. They did this.”
Grieving families of victims search for answers
With the small community of nearly 6,000 shaken by the seven deaths, families of the victims said they wanted answers in the case.
When asked why he thought his daughter was killed, Justin Webster said he believed it was because “the evil in (McFadden) wanted to get back at the world.”
“I don’t even know what we’re supposed to do next,” Justin Webster said. “I don’t even know if we’re going to bury our daughter. I don’t have these answers.”
Mayo also implored to the public to remember that her family was just as much a victim of McFadden as Tiffany Webster and Brittany Brewer.
Families remember victims: ‘A loving, forgiving person.’ ‘An outgoing person.’
Brittany Brewer’s father called his daughter his “right-hand person” during the vigil held Monday night.
“Brittany was an outgoing person. She was actually selected to be Miss Henryetta … coming up in July for this Miss National Miss pageant in Tulsa. And now she ain’t gonna make it because she’s dead. She’s gone,” Nathan Brewer told KOTV in Tulsa.
Ashleigh Webster described her daughter, Ivy Webster, as a great kid who loved animals and softball. “She was just a genuine good person. She really was,” Ashleigh Webster said.
Mayo described her daughter, Holly Guess, as a doting parent.
“Holly was the most loving person on the planet,” Mayo said. “She was an overprotective mother, but if my grandchildren needed anything, she made sure they had it.”
Mayo added that her granddaughter Rylee Allen “was into art and painting.” She said Rylee Allen had aspirations of becoming an artist and a doctor.
Michael Mayo “loved video games,” and ran track and cross-country, Mayo said. When he wanted to play football, his mother went out and bought the family T-shirts and sweatshirts to support the team, Mayo said. Tiffany Guess also ran cross-country, she performed in the choir, and had just tried out for the cheerleading squad.
“She was the sweetest, most loving girl you’d ever met,” Mayo said. “We called her ‘Tiffasaurus’ because when she’d get mad at you, she’d growl.”
Henryetta schools mourn loss of students
Henryetta Public Schools issued a statement to students and parents “grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several students.” Classes were being held Tuesday, an “extremely difficult” day, to ensure that students had access to grief counseling and the support of faculty and friends.
“We will have mental health professionals & faith-based clergy on hand, but we understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep your student at home,” the statement said. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”
Contributing: Josh Dulaney, Nate Chute, Jessie Christopher Smith and Jana Hayes, The Oklahoman; The Associated Press
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