The Okmulgee Police Department
recovered four male bodies from a river on Friday. The discovery came as police
search for four close friends in Oklahoma after their mysterious disappearance
last Sunday.
Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30;
Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29, were last seen leaving one of their
homes in Okmulgee around 8 p.m. Sunday reportedly riding bicycles, according to
the Okmulgee Police Department. Both of the Chastain men and Sparks were
reported missing by one of their spouses during the overnight hours on Monday,
police said. Stevens' mother contacted authorities a few hours later also to
report her son's disappearance.
The bodies recovered from the river
are being taken to the medical examiner's office in Tulsa for autopsy.
No identifications were made at the
scene and the medical examiner will have to make the official identifications,
according to police.
Related video: Police investigating
after body found in Oklahoma City.
In a press conference,
Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said a passerby noticed suspicious items in
the river near Sharp Road and reported it just before 2 p.m. on Friday.
Officers responded and discovered what
appeared to be multiple human remains partially submerged in a river, he said.
The families of the missing men were
notified of the discovery, but police were not able to make an identification
at the scene.
Both of the Chastain men and Sparks
were reported missing by one of their spouses during the overnight hours on
Monday, police said. Stevens' mother contacted authorities a few hours later
also to report her son's disappearance.
The Okmulgee Police Department
gathered video and additional GPS information and followed up on potential
sightings on Thursday, but said they were unable to confirm any reported
sightings of the men.
According to investigators, two of the
men are believed to have cellphones with them, however, attempts to contact
them go straight to voicemail.
Chastain's cellphone was tracked to an
area south of Okmulgee, but was turned off or lost power at some point.
Officers checked the area, but found no sign of the men, police said.
This article was originally published on www.msn.com