Authorities say seven dead have been discovered on a property in a small town in rural Oklahoma while searching for two missing adolescents.
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Police stated that they thought Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, who they were seeking, were among the fatalities.
Police also discovered the body of Jesse McFadden, a convicted criminal and registered sex offender who they claimed the girls were traveling with.
The cause of death was not given by the police.
The two kids are the subject of an endangered missing person advisory from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as of Monday.
A local CBS news network stated that the girls had apparently spent the weekend with McFadden but had never made it back home.
Police were directed to Henryetta, a small hamlet of roughly 6,000 people, by a search warrant for McFadden's residence, where they found seven bodies.
Sheriff Eddy Rice of Okmulgee County stated that he thinks Ivy and Brittany were discovered during the search but added that the state medical examiner will need to confirm the victims' identities.
By Monday afternoon, the missing person advisory had been withdrawn.
Mr. Rice stated, "We think to have found everything that we were looking for this morning. Our thoughts are with the affected families, friends, classmates, and everyone else.
Regarding the incident or the cause of death, no additional information was provided.
Nathan Brewer, Brittany's father, expressed disbelief to the local media.
"I'm adrift. I'm completely lost. The end of the school year is approaching, but she won't be there. She's gone, I mean," he continued. "I have five kids, but she was kind of like my sidekick."
"Brittany had a friendly demeanor. She was actually chosen to compete in the Miss National Miss pageant in Tulsa in July as Miss Henryetta. And now that she's passed away, she won't survive.
It's basically a parent's greatest fear, Mr. Brewer told the crowd at a vigil on Monday night.
In a Facebook post, Henryetta Public Schools expressed its sorrow over the passing of some of its kids. It announced that it will offer students grief counseling and access to mental health professionals and postponed a kindergarten graduation scheduled for Monday.
It stated, "Our hearts are hurting." Please keep these families in your prayers and thoughts as well.
