HENRYETTA, Okla. (NewsNation) — Authorities discovered the bodies of seven people Monday while searching a rural Oklahoma property for two missing teenagers, state investigators confirmed.
The bodies were found near the town of Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 located about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Gerald Davidson said.
“We’ve had our share of troubles and woes, but this one is pretty bad,” Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice told reporters.
Earlier Monday, a missing endangered person advisory was issued after 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer were reported missing. The two were reportedly seen traveling with convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol canceled the Amber Alert Monday afternoon.
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. A message left Monday evening with McFadden’s attorney, in that case, was not immediately returned.
The state medical examiner is working to confirm the identities of those found. NewsNation affiliate KFOR reported the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Department believes the bodies of Ivy Webster and Brittany Brewer were found on the property.
Brittany Brewer’s father told KOTV in Tulsa that one of the bodies discovered was his daughter.
“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 said.
Rice declined to confirm the identities of any of the victims, where the bodies were found or any details about weapons that may have been discovered on the property.
“We believe there’s no other threat to the community,” he added.
Malaina Schabell, the mother of Brittany Brewer, told NewsNation in an exclusive interview she knew something was wrong when her daughter stopped responding to calls and texts.
“I didn’t want to believe she’s gone, and I still don’t,” Schabell said.
She described her daughter as a very “bright, fun girl” who loved to laugh.
“She was just a very outgoing girl, never met a stranger,” Schabell said. “Full of life.”
Henryetta Public Schools posted on Facebook and its website that it is grieving over the loss of several of its students.
“Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the note said. Officials said school would be in session, and mental health professionals and clergy would be on hand to help counsel students. But they said they would understand if families want to keep their children home from school.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KFOR contributed to this report.