(CNN) — A convicted sex offender and two missing teenage girls are believed to be among the seven bodies found Monday at that man’s Oklahoma home, authorities said.
Jesse L. McFadden, 39, was found dead at his home in Henryetta, about 90 miles from Oklahoma City, just hours after records showed he missed a scheduled court appearance.
Missing teens Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, are also believed to be among the bodies, Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said, noting the medical examiner would provide definitive confirmation of their identities.
There was a danger/missing notice for Webster and Brewer issued by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which said they were last seen early Monday morning in Henryetta and may have been traveling with McFadden.
Jesse Lee McFadden.
The seven bodies were found on a property where McFadden lived, Rice told the Tulsa World newspaper. It’s the same address that’s listed for McFadden on the Oklahoma sex offender registry. The bodies were not found “at the residence, but only at the property,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Gerald Davidson said Monday.
McFadden was scheduled to appear Monday at 9:00 am for a trial on charges of paying for prostitution of a minor, but did not attend, according to court records. A warrant for their arrest was issued for failure to appear, the documents show, and then authorities discovered the bodies while executing a search warrant.
The court hearing stems from charges filed in 2017, when McFadden was accused of using a cellphone to exchange nude photos and videos with an underage girl while serving a sentence for rape in 2003, according to affiliate KOKI. from CNN.
The parents of Webster, one of the missing teens, spoke with KOKI while the search for the girls was underway. They said they were “shocked” to learn of McFadden’s past. “It shouldn’t have come out and it’s our justice system that needs to be tougher,” Justin Webster told the outlet.
No suspects are on the run or are being sought by authorities, said Davidson, a spokesman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
“There is no suspect on the loose that we are looking for at this time,” he told reporters on Monday. “So… there is no threat to the community.”
Rice added that the girls’ families were notified.
The school system says it is sorry for “several of our students”
Henryetta Public Schools said it is “saddened by the tragedy of the loss of several of our students,” in a message on its website directed to parents and guardians.
“Our hearts are heavy and we have considered what would be best for our students in the days ahead,” the school system said.
The school system added that classes would not be canceled and that students would have access to mental health professionals and religious clergy.
“We understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep students at home,” the message continues. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”
A vigil for “families affected by this tragedy” has been scheduled for Monday night, the school system said on Facebook.
Henryetta, located in central Oklahoma, had a population of 5,640 at the 2020 US Census.
— With reporting from CNN’s Tina Burnside.
