Oklahoma K9 Team Helps Search For Remains Near Oologah

A homicide tip led investigators to a rural Rogers County pond along East 360 Road Tuesday. FBI agents and Rogers County Sheriff's Office deputies are searching for human remains in connection to a 2013 homicide. 

Dive teams have been at the pond searching inch by inch throughout the entire day. They planned to wrap up once the sun went down, but the search could take several days.

Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton says an FBI recovery team, made up of agents from around the country, are helping them search for human remains at the bottom of the pond.

"This thing I think will get more interesting as the day and week goes on, and we will see how the information develops," said Sheriff Scott Walton.

Walton said this all started after Norman Police recently got a tip about a homicide in 2013. The tipster said two people killed a man in Oologah, cut up his body with a chainsaw, and dumped him in the pond.

Related Story: FBI, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office Search For Possible 2013 Homicide Victim 

Walton said they're talking to a person of interest, and they think the possible victim is not from the area. But a relative of one of the people mentioned in the tip owns the land with the pond.

"This person of interest is cooperating with us at this point - was on the property this morning," he said.

Also helping in the search are two cadaver dogs - 5-year-olds Nico and Raven - trained to smell for human remains. Their handler, Pam Hixon with Detection K9 of Oklahoma, said they were called in to help by law enforcement.

"Once the dog has an idea of the odor. We put it everywhere. We put it under cones; we'll hang it from trees," Hixon said of the dogs' training.

Minuteman Disaster Relief from Texas is also helping and has set up showers and bathrooms for search crews. Walton said the search could last several days.

Investigators will return Wednesday. They're also looking for a weapon that may have been tossed into the pond.