CNN
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person listed as person linked to horrific killing Four men shot, dismembered and found in Oklahoma River last week He was detained Tuesday in Florida on unrelated charges, authorities said.
Joe Kennedy, 67, was arrested in a vehicle on the Daytona Beach Shores that was reportedly stolen Monday, Okmulgee police said. He was charged with stealing a motor vehicle without bond, according to Volusia County inmate records.
“The district attorney and sheriff will begin the process of returning Kennedy to Okmulgee County,” police said in a statement. “The murder investigation is ongoing and investigators continue to follow leads every day.”
Police did not elaborate on why Kennedy was a person of interest, nor did they list him as a murder suspect.
He was also arrested in Okmulgee County District Court in connection with the 2012 shooting. He will appear in court Wednesday afternoon before a Volusia County judge, according to the court clerk.
Four men — Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32; 10, according to Police Chief Joe Prentice Alex Stevens, 29, was reported missing after cycling from Billy Chastain’s home around 9pm on March 9.
Their bodies, shot and dismembered, were found days later in a river outside Okmulgee, a city of about 11,000 people, about 35 miles south of Tulsa.
“While the official cause and manner of death remain undetermined, each victim suffered gunshot wounds,” Prentice said. “All four bodies were dismembered before being placed in the river, which is why identification was difficult. .”
The remains were recovered within days and it was It is unclear what kind of evidence investigators will be able to recover.
“As long as water is involved, it is difficult to identify evidence,” the official said.
Police did not find any bicycles or the firearm used in the homicide.
Citing a preliminary investigation, Prentice said that while the exact cause of the deaths of the men was unclear, it appeared that they planned to commit a crime while leaving Billy Chastain’s home.
This belief is based on “information provided by witnesses who reported that they were invited to go with these people Quote, de-quote, ‘slap a big enough lick for all of them,'” the chief said at a news conference Monday.
“It’s a common term for engaging in some kind of criminal activity, but we don’t know what they’re planning or where they’re planning to do it,” Prentice added.
After the men were reported missing, police said they believed at least two of the men had mobile phones with them. Prentice told CNN Saturday that investigators traced the phone’s path and found the devices went to two salvage yards — one about 5 miles from the river and the other about 10 to 12 miles from the river.
Police later found “evidence of violence” on property adjoining one of the locations, the superintendent did not elaborate.
The chief said police had a “person of interest” in the case on Monday, describing them as “someone we would like to talk to.” However, Prentice said the person was missing as of Saturday night and may be suicidal.
Now that the case is a murder investigation, police will be tight-lipped about further proceedings “to protect the integrity of the investigation,” the chief said.
“In my career, I have dealt with more than 80 murders. I have been involved in murders involving multiple victims. I have done dismemberment work, but this case has the largest number of victims, and it is a very violent incident,” Prentice said.