A convicted sex offender and two missing teenage girls were believed to be among seven bodies found at the man’s Oklahoma home on Monday, authorities said.
Jesse L. McFadden, the 39-year-old offender, was found dead at his home in Henryetta, about 90 miles from Oklahoma City, just hours after he missed a scheduled court appearance, records show.
The missing teens, 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer, were believed to be among the seven bodies found, Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said, noting the medical examiner would provide a final confirmation of their identities.
Webster and Brewer had been the subject of an endangered/missing advisory issued by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which said they were last seen early Monday morning in Henryetta and could have been traveling with McFadden.
The seven bodies found at a property where McFadden lived, Rice told the Tulsa World newspaper. It is the same address listed for McFadden in the Oklahoma Sex Offender registry. The bodies were found “not in the residence, but just on the property,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Gerald Davidson said Monday.
McFadden was set to stand trial on charges of solicitation of a minor at 9 a.m. Monday but failed to show up, according to court records. A bench warrant for failure to appear was issued, the records show, and authorities then discovered the bodies while executing a search warrant.
The court date stemmed from charges filed in 2017, when McFadden was accused of using a cell phone to exchange nude photos and videos with an underage girl, while he was serving time for a 2003 rape conviction, according to CNN affiliate KOKI.
The parents of Webster, one of the missing teens, spoke with KOKI while the search for the girls was underway. They said they were “shocked” to learn of McFadden’s past. “He should not have been out and it’s our justice system that needs to be harder,” Justin Webster told the outlet.
Henryetta Public Schools said it is “grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several of our students,” in a message on its website addressed to parents and guardians.
“Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the school system said.
The system added that classes would not be canceled and that students would have access to mental health professionals and faith-based clergy.
“We understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep your student at home,” the message continued. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”
Located in central Oklahoma, Henryetta had a population of 5,640 at the 2020 US census.