Jesse McFadden, the sex offender found dead with six others in a rural Oklahoma home, shot the victims in the head before turning the gun on himself, police announced on Wednesday.
Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice confirmed Wednesday that the victims all sustained between one and three wounds to the head. McFadden, 39, then shot himself, he said.
Law enforcement officials have released few details since the seven bodies — including two missing teenage girls — were found on McFadden’s property on Monday.
McFadden had spent 16 years in prison for a 2003 rape conviction and was scheduled to appear in court for his trial Monday on charges of soliciting child porn.
Authorities have identified two of the victims — Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, of Henryetta, both of whom had been reported missing and in danger since Sunday night.
They were last seen with McFadden, police said.
Police have not officially confirmed the identities of the other victims.
However, McFadden’s wife Holly Guess, and her children — Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13 — are also believed to be among the deceased, according to Guess’ mom, Janette Mayo.
Mayo said Tiffany was close friends with Ivy and Brittany, who were spending the weekend with the family.
Mayo, 59, described McFadden as a quiet but controlling manipulator who hid unsavory details of his past.
But she said she learned just over the last few months about her son-in-law’s criminal history.
“He lied to my daughter, and he convinced her it was all just a huge mistake,” she 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.”
She said law enforcement officials told her the victims were found at various locations on the property near Henryetta — a town of roughly 6,000 residents about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City.
Ivy’s father, Justin Webster, filed a missing person report with the local sheriff’s office when she didn’t return home Sunday night after spending the weekend with McFadden, Guess and her children.
The girl’s family was shocked to learn about McFadden’s criminal history.
“I would say he was weird,” Webster said. “He was always getting into his kids’ phones and reading all their snap messages and all that. It wasn’t in a way of a concerned parent. It was more of keeping tabs on the kids.”
Brittany Brewer’s father, Nathan, said his daughter — who had just been nominated as Miss Henryetta — had spent the weekend with McFadden’s family several times in the past without incident.
At a Monday night vigil, Brewer told hundreds of people: “It’s just a parent’s worst nightmare, and I’m living it.”
McFadden had been 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.
Court records show he was communicating with a then-16-year-old girl using a contraband cell phone while he was incarcerated at a state prison near Muskogee.
The teen’s grandfather reported their communications to prison officials, according to an affidavit from the Department of Corrections.
McFadden reportedly sent a number of disturbing text messages to the victim in that case Sunday evening, seemingly blaming her for filing charges against him, she said.
“I did exactly what I promised I would do when I got out,” McFadden texted the victim. “I got a marketing job making great money and was being advanced been there 2 years now and made a great life like I promised I would do with you.”
“Now it’s all gone, I told you I wouldn’t go back … This is all on you for continuing this,” the texts read.
Henryetta Public Schools said the community is grieving the loss of several students.
“Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the district said in a message posted online.
With Post Wires
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