On June 21, 2016, 23-year-old Matthew Scott Fagan was reported missing from the Cato Creek hiking area near the southwestern end of Lake Tenkiller in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. He had been hiking with three other men on the Buzzard's Roost Nature Trail when he reportedly complained of his ankle hurting and decided to turn back. When his companions returned to their vehicle, Fagan was nowhere to be found. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, camouflage pants, and black boots.
Initial search efforts by Sequoyah County authorities, which included searchers on foot, horseback, and with search dogs, were hampered by the heat and ultimately proved unsuccessful.
As the investigation into Fagan's disappearance progressed, inconsistencies in the stories of the men he was hiking with raised suspicions. The case soon shifted from a missing person search to a homicide investigation. Three men, Michael Snelling, Tyler Leverett, and Charles Blake Shamblin, were arrested in connection with Fagan's death. According to court documents, the men admitted to their involvement, though their accounts of who was primarily responsible for the killing differed. The motive was allegedly jealousy over a relationship Fagan had with a woman known to the men. The men confessed that Fagan had been beaten to death with a ball-peen hammer. They also admitted to concealing his body, first by covering it with leaves and later wrapping it in a tarp and chicken wire before disposing of it in Lake Tenkiller. Despite extensive searches of the lake using sonar, divers, and cadaver dogs, Fagan's body was not recovered at that time. Due to the lack of a body to corroborate the confessions, the murder charges against Snelling, Leverett, and Shamblin were eventually dismissed in 2017.
The case remained cold for several years until a significant breakthrough occurred in November 2024, when a hunter discovered human remains in a wooded area. Investigators searched the area and found additional remains, which were sent for DNA testing. In December 2025, the remains were positively identified as belonging to Matthew Fagan. This crucial discovery allowed prosecutors to reopen the case. In April 2026, nearly a decade after Fagan's disappearance, Michael Snelling, Tyler Leverett, and Charles Blake Shamblin were once again charged with first-degree murder and accessory after the fact. The identification of Fagan's remains provided the necessary evidence for the case to move forward, bringing renewed hope for justice for Matthew Fagan and his family. The overview of this case reveals a tragic story that began as a missing person report and evolved into a complex homicide investigation, highlighting the perseverance of law enforcement in resolving a cold case and the profound impact of a long-awaited discovery.Last Seen: Jun 21, 2016
