Editor’s Note: As of 2 p.m. press time Thursday, the search for the men continued by authorities.
The search for four men missing since Sunday continued Thursday as local authorities sought answers into their disappearance.
Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice announced Tuesday that Mark Chastain, 32; his brother Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32 and Alex Stevens, 29, were reported missing by family members, Mark Chastain by his wife and Stevens by his mother.
A search involving the District 25 Violent Crime Task Force continued through Wednesday before Chief Prentice announced they would stop for the evening and resume on Thursday.
“These men are exhausted,” Prentice stated. “I am sending them home to get rested and we will start fresh (Thursday), unless something time sensitive comes in overnight.”
According to OPD, the four men are believed to have left Billy Chastain’s home on the west side of Okmulgee on Sunday about 8 p.m. They all reportedly were on bicycles. Two of the men are believed to have cell phones with them, but attempts to call the phones go straight to voicemail, according to police.
The search on Wednesday was in the area surrounding a salvage yard near Schulter, where investigators got a GPS location ping from Mark Chastain's cell phone.
A sighting of both Chastain men was reported on Monday morning by a passerby near the YMCA in Okmulgee. Investigators are working to confirm the sighting but only have witness descriptions, according to police.
Prentice stated this is the first time in his law enforcement career that four adult men have gone missing at the same time.
According to the chief, the investigation has shown the men visited a salvage yard west of Okmulgee, then stopped at a Murphy's gas station. They then stopped at a different salvage yard near Schulter, where Mark Chastain's phone either died or turned off.
“At this point, the evidence tells me I have four missing adults. I have no evidence there’s any violence involved at this point. We always consider that a possibility in any missing persons case and we’re not discounting that possibility, but not persons of interest,' Prentice said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Okmulgee Police Department at 918-756-3511.
