OSBI: Homicide Victim Found In Church Parking Lot Identified

The state Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man found dead in a church parking lot Tuesday evening in Adair County.

Michael Shell, Sr., 45, of Stilwell was found lying just outside the Pleasant Valley Holiness Church by the church's pastor. The church is located southeast of Stilwell on Highway 100.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation initially reported that the victim was Shell's son, Michael Shell, Jr., but corrected it after being contacted by the family.

The OSBI says it is running down a number of leads in the case.

The OSBI says the ME has yet to determine how Shell died, but with apparent trauma to the head, it appears Shell was a victim of murder.

8/1/21012 Related Story: Body Of Man Discovered Outside Rural Adair County Church