Cherokee County Deputies Investigating Missing Teen Case As Homicide

The Cherokee County Sheriff said the investigation into a missing teenager has turned into a homicide investigation.

The Sheriff said 18-year-old Braeden Collins was reported missing over the weekend by his mother after he went to a party in the Woodall area between Tahlequah and Fort Gibson.

The Sheriff said Collins got into an altercation with some people at the party and left intoxicated, then crashed around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. They said Collins called some family members and asked them to pick him up at a nearby convenience stores, but he never showed up.

A deputy investigating the case found an abandoned driveway in the area that had recent tire tracks and discovered a burned SUV with a body inside.

The Sheriff said they are pretty sure the body is Collins, but they are waiting on the medical examiner’s office for confirmation.

Anyone with information is asked to call 918-456-25-83.