Missing Arkansas mother's body found in Oklahoma pond; 3 suspects arrested
08/03/2021 1:33 pm PDT
LEFLORE COUNTY, Okla. (TCD) -- Three men were arrested after the body of a missing 40-year-old woman from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was discovered last week in a pond near Rock Island, Oklahoma.
The Fort Smith Police Department announced on July 23 that Tara Strozier was last seen on July 17 in Cameron, Oklahoma, and her family reported her missing because they had not been able to get in contact with her. Police listed her as a missing person on July 19.
Fort Smith Police said Strozier, a mother of three, drove a black Volkswagen Jetta with a Florida license plate.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Strozier's car was found on a private road in Cameron. The LeFlore County Sheriff's Office, who worked with the Fort Smith Police Department, suspected foul play because Strozier was reportedly nowhere to be seen.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement they suspect Strozier was tortured in a mobile home near Neblett Ridge Road and then murdered by the pond close to Rock Island.
Authorities arrested three men suspected in her disappearance and murder: Alex Davis, 30; Austin Johnson, 23; and Kaelin Hutchinson, 24.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Davis allegedly admitted on July 29 he killed Strozier while Johnson was present. They allegedly weighed her body down and threw her into the pond.
Strozier’s body was found Thursday night, July 29.
The three men were booked into the LeFlore County Detention Center on July 29. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Davis was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping; Johnson was charged with first-degree murder; and Hutchinson was charged with obstruction of an officer.
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