Tara Nicole Underwood, a 35-year-old woman whose family described her as a “true ray of sunshine,” was a loving fiancée and the dedicated mother of three children. Born in Bamberg, Germany, on February 3, 1989, she was a 2007 graduate of Alma High School and had earned an associate's degree. Tara lived in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and worked as the office administrator at LaFerry's Propane in the small nearby town of Gans.
Her father, Randy Barnett, recalled her as "bouncy and full of life," someone who could always make him smile. Her family said her smile and infectious laughter could light up any room.
That light was senselessly extinguished on the evening of Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Tara and her coworker, Taylor Sharp, were working at the propane business when a man entered. That man was later identified by authorities as Stacey Lee Drake, a 50-year-old from Oklahoma with a lengthy criminal history. Investigators believe Drake was attempting to carjack a vehicle as he fled from law enforcement. During the encounter, both Tara and Taylor were shot and killed. Tara’s vehicle was stolen from the scene. The devastating discovery was made later that evening by her fiancé.
The killings sparked a multi-state manhunt for Drake. Tara’s stolen vehicle was found abandoned 125 miles away in the parking lot of a hotel in Morrilton, Arkansas. After an intensive search, Drake was apprehended in a wooded area in Morrilton. The investigation soon revealed that the murders in Gans were part of a violent crime spree. Authorities linked Drake to the killing of Philip Emerson in El Reno, Oklahoma, whose vehicle he had allegedly stolen before arriving in Gans. He was also wanted in connection with the stabbing death of Russell "Rusty" Andrews in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on May 14, 2024.
In the wake of the tragedy, the community rallied around the families of Tara and Taylor. A prayer vigil in Sallisaw drew approximately 200 people. Tara's family remembered her love for sunflowers, and her father planned to place one in her casket. Two years after her death, her father noted that sunflowers that grew from the floral arrangements left by mourners now bloom in his yard each summer, a beautiful reminder of his daughter. The CEO of LaFerry's Propane, calling Tara and Taylor "the best people," made the decision to demolish the Gans building, stating it was the right thing to do for their loss and to provide a fresh start.
Stacey Lee Drake was charged in Sequoyah County with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Tara Underwood and Taylor Sharp, along with robbery and stolen vehicle charges. He was also charged with the murder of Phillip Emerson in Canadian County. Prosecutors in Oklahoma are seeking the death penalty. Drake has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him in Oklahoma.
As they await justice, Tara’s family focuses on her memory. Her sister, Tia Barnett, remembered Tara as her built-in best friend who was outdoorsy and girly at the same time. Two years after the murder, her family said that while the grief comes in waves, they are focusing more on who she was rather than how she was lost. "We are angry. I'm angry. I've lost my sister. We want justice," Tia said. The capital murder trial for Stacey Lee Drake is scheduled to begin with jury selection on February 1, 2027.
