AUTHORITIES discover woman's body

OKTAHA, Okla. (AP) _ A body discovered in a rural pond Friday evening is apparently that of a woman missing since Sunday, authorities said. <br><br>Authorities said earlier they ``feared the worst''

Saturday, September 1st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKTAHA, Okla. (AP) _ A body discovered in a rural pond Friday evening is apparently that of a woman missing since Sunday, authorities said.

Authorities said earlier they ``feared the worst'' about Joycelyn Littles, 47, whose body they apparently discovered in a rural area south of Muskogee.

A medical examiner will determine within the next couple of days whether the victim is Littles, said Muskogee County Chief Deputy Darrin Smith.

Littles has not been seen or heard from since Sunday when her niece spoke with her on a cell phone. Littles told her niece she was in Muskogee with Marcus Dewayne Sample.

Sample, 36, was found by highway department employees arriving for work about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday in Sand Springs. He had been shot twice in the chest at close range.

The niece said she received a call on her cell phone later Sunday and heard Littles screaming and asking for help before the phone went dead.

Littles' relatives said Sample told them on Monday he left Littles at a Wal-Mart in Wagoner because she was on medication and acting strangely.

Family members said Littles was not taking medication.