In October 2022, the quiet lives of a group of friends in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, were horrifically cut short. Among them was Billy Chastain, a 30-year-old male. On the evening of October 9th, Chastain, his brother Mark, and their friends Mike Sparks and Alex Stevens, left a home in Okmulgee on bicycles. This would be the last time they were seen alive.
Their disappearance prompted a frantic search by family and law enforcement, a search that would end in the grim discovery of their remains.
Days later, a passerby spotted something suspicious in the Deep Fork River, leading authorities to a gruesome scene. The bodies of the four men, including Billy Chastain, were pulled from the water. An investigation quickly revealed the brutal nature of their deaths; all four had been shot and their bodies dismembered before being discarded in the river. The discovery sent shockwaves through the community and left their families devastated by the violent end to their loved ones' lives.
The investigation into the quadruple homicide soon centered on a person of interest: Joe Kennedy, the owner of a local salvage yard. Evidence of a violent event was discovered on a property adjacent to his scrapyard, linking him to the crime. Initially cooperative with police, Kennedy was reported missing shortly after being questioned. A witness had come forward stating they were invited to join the men to 'hit a lick big enough for all of them,' suggesting the men may have been planning a criminal act.
The search for Kennedy ended in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, where he was arrested while driving a stolen vehicle. While Kennedy was named a person of interest, authorities were careful not to label him a suspect in the murders pending further investigation. He was set to be extradited back to Oklahoma for questioning in connection with the brutal slayings of Billy Chastain and his three friends.
