Mayes County Sheriff: 4th Death In 4 Weeks Not Connected To Others

The state's Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of a woman whose body was found in a Mayes County creek.

This is the fourth body that's been found in the county within the past month, but Sheriff Mike Reed said people in the county should not be afraid that there's a killer on the loose.

The Mayes County Sheriff said it's unusual for there to be so many dead bodies found in the county, but he's 100 percent sure that they are not connected.

During the summer, Saline Creek is a popular place for swimmers.

"It's a spring creek, a lot of private property up and down the creek, so there's a lot of picnic areas through there. A lot of people swim," Sheriff Reed said.

But on the Fourth of July, the peaceful creek became a crime scene. Reed said a woman in her mid 30s to 40s was found badly decomposed in the water.

7/7/2013 Related Story: OSBI Confirms Body Found In Mayes County Creek

He said the investigation immediately drew "red flags," so deputies called the OSBI for assistance.

"They've locked everything down. We gathered all the evidence with OSBI, as we could, and because of the rate of decomposition, at that time, it was taken to the medical examiner," Reed said.

Four dead bodies have been found in the county in the past month.

The first was spotted on June 8, in the southern part of the county, by a fisherman. Investigators have identified him as Roy Joice. They believe he committed suicide.

The second body was found a couple weeks later on Big Cabin Creek. Since that is Grand River Dam Authority property, GRDA police are investigating the death.

On July 1, another body was found near a Locust Grove dam. Sheriff Reed said the man also appeared to have killed himself.

All three are believed to be white men in their 50s to 60s.

"Everything is panning out to where we're getting answers to stuff," Reed said.

Reed is new to the department and he wants people to know deputies are working to solve these cases.

"To put everybody in Mayes County at rest and peace, these are not connected in any way shape or form. We'll give you our word on that," he said.

The Mayes County Sheriff's Office is waiting for the medical examiner to determine the official cause of death for these four people.