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HENRYETTA, Okla. – A woman said Tuesday that her daughter and three grandchildren were among the seven people found dead outside this rural town on a property where the remains of two missing teens and a convicted sex offender also were discovered.
Janette Mayo, 59, of Westville, Oklahoma, said the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office notified her that the victims included her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and Mayo’s grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13.
Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said that confirmation was pending but that two of the bodies were believed to be Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15. A third body was believed to be that of convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden, 39, who Mayo said was the husband of Holly Guess.
“My daughter loved her children. And, yes, she married the man who killed them. But she was fooled by his charm,” Mayo said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “I hurt just like the other families, but he took my world from me.”
Neither the Okmulgee County sheriff nor the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has confirmed who was responsible for the deaths. Rice said late Monday, before the identities of the last four victims were revealed, that “we believe (we) found everything that we were seeking. … Our hearts go out to the families and friends, schoolmates and everyone else.”
Ivy and Brittany were last in contact with family members Sunday morning. An Amber Alert for Webster and Brewer had said they were seen traveling with McFadden, who was on the state’s sex offender registry. 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 located 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. Ivy’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 Ivy 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.”
Relative says family recently learned of McFadden’s criminal history
Mayo said the sheriff’s office told her that her daughter and grandchildren were found shot to death. She said her family didn’t know about McFadden’s criminal history until a couple of months ago.
“He lied to my daughter, and he convinced her it was all just a huge mistake,” Mayo told The Associated Press. “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.”
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.”
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.”
Who is 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.
Records show McFadden was due Monday in Muskogee County District Court for a jury trial on one count of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor by use of technology and one count of possession of child pornography. McFadden failed to appear in court, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Contributing: Josh Dulaney, Nate Chute and Jessie Christopher Smith, The Oklahoman; The Associated Press
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