Serial Killer Captured in Arkansas
Suspect in Murders in Alabama and Oklahoma.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
A two-day manhunt for a man suspected in three murders in Oklahoma and another in Alabama came to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday with the arrest of Stacy Lee Drake in Arkansas.
The pursuit for Drake commenced on Tuesday evening in Oklahoma when Sequoyah County deputies responded to a distressing report that two individuals were found deceased at a business in Gans, as reported by KOCO. The victims were identified as Tara Underwood and Taylor Sharp, both of whom displayed injuries consistent with homicide.
Working in collaboration with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the sheriff’s office swiftly identified Drake, aged 50, as the prime suspect in the case.
Sheriff Larry Kane disclosed that Drake had abandoned a truck in Sallisaw on Saturday before making his way to LaFerry’s Propane on Tuesday. Surveillance footage captured Drake entering the business establishment on Tuesday afternoon and later departing in one of the victim’s vehicles. No other individuals were observed entering or exiting the premises during his visit.
The stolen vehicle was subsequently discovered at a Motel 5 in Morrilton, Arkansas, with surveillance footage confirming Drake’s presence in the same attire he had worn in Gans.
Arkansas State Police resumed the pursuit on Wednesday, revealing that Drake had been spotted purchasing camping equipment and was believed to be lingering in the vicinity of Morrilton. By Thursday morning, authorities confirmed Drake’s arrest at approximately 10 a.m. in a wooded area near the intersection of University Boulevard and Poor Farm Road.
Following his apprehension in Arkansas, law enforcement in El Reno, Oklahoma, linked Drake to a homicide that occurred on June 14. The victim was identified as 56-year-old Phillip Emerson, whose brother informed KWTV that Emerson had encountered Drake at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in El Reno. The absence of Emerson’s truck, which was later discovered in Sallisaw, played a pivotal role in connecting the victim to Drake, according to El Reno’s Police Chief Ken Brown.
However, Drake’s criminal activities extended beyond Oklahoma, as he was also wanted in Alabama for the killing of Russell Thomas Andrews, whose body was discovered in a Tuscaloosa Alcoholics Anonymous facility on May 14.
Addressing the ongoing investigation, Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy informed AL.com that authorities were exploring the possibility of additional casualties linked to Drake.
“It would not be surprising to me at all,” Kennedy affirmed. “If you look at his criminal history, he was continuously escalating his violent behavior.”
Drake had previously been charged with Andrews’s murder and is now facing charges for the deaths of Underwood and Sharp in Sequoyah County. At present, he has not been formally charged in connection with Emerson’s homicide.
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[Featured image: Stacy Lee Drake/Arkansas State Police]
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Serial Killer Suspect Murders Alabama Oklahoma Captured Arkansas Crime Online.
