Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (2024)

The first to go missing was a convicted burglar who raised bulldogs at a compound in Logan County that would become a killing ground.

The name of his business was God's Miraculous Bully Kennel.

More:Human remains found, Oklahoma white supremacist leader might be connected

The second was a Missouri woman living in a camper on the semirural site. In a desperate phone call, she had asked a friend to tell her daughter that she loved her.

The third was a pipeline worker nicknamed "Batman" whose pickup was abandoned on railroad tracks near Choctaw.

The last were newlyweds from Missouri. Their pickup was found shot up south of Guthrie.

In all, 12 disappearances have come under investigation by a task force that has focused on the alleged leader of a violent white supremacist prison gang, according to records obtained by The Oklahoman. The records portray a chilling litany of violence in the rural outskirts of Oklahoma City that has largely been kept out of the spotlight even as the number of people missing and confirmed dead has grown.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (1)

A timeline created for the investigation shows the disappearances started in 2019 and continued into 2022. Many may be connected to the prison gang's drug operations, the records show.

At least twice, disappearances came after drugs were seized during traffic stops.

Ten of the missing have been linked to either the alleged gang leader or the Logan County compound, the records show. The other two have not been confirmed as connected.

All the missing had criminal histories.

Authorities believe bodies were burned. Bone fragments were recovered last year at the Logan County site, as well as at an oil field lease road near Luther.

Bone fragments also were recovered at a third site, half a mile from the Logan County compound, the records reveal. And the skull of one of the missing was found last year in a cow pasture. Lodged inside the skull was a bullet.

So far, only one disappearance has resulted in criminal charges. Jason Dean Cornett, 45, is accused of a fatal shooting, even though no body has been found. His wife and a nephew are accused of being accessories.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (2)

The investigation is surrounded by extraordinary secrecy. Authorities have disclosed to the public the name of only one of the missing, the alleged victim in the murder case. A federal search warrant for the Logan County property, 12705 R Road Edmond, remains under seal.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in August did confirm, for a second time, that it was helping sheriffs in Oklahoma, Pottawatomie and Logan counties in their missing person cases. It did not, however, say how many were missing from the three central Oklahoma counties.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (3)

The OSBI in August said it was collecting DNA from the families of those missing "with the goal of identifying bone fragments recovered in Logan County earlier this year."

"This investigation is fluid and very active," the OSBI said. "Because of that, the volume of rumors and speculation is high. The OSBI will not comment on rumors as that can jeopardize the ongoing investigation."

The records obtained by The Oklahoman include internal law enforcement reports, investigative summaries of each missing person case and four versions of the timeline.

The documents confirm that the top suspect is Mikell Patrick "Bulldog" Smith, a three-time convicted murderer once described as the most dangerous inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (4)

He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 1985 shotgun slaying of a Moore math teacher. His accomplice was executed in 2000.

At the penitentiary in McAlester, he has twice killed cellmates and once stabbed a guard in the heart. He is 58.

His wife, Robin Smith, was listed for two years as an owner of the property in Logan County that investigators call the bully farm. The site — 2.56 acres — had been shielded from view from the road by a long, 10-foot metal wall. A brother still owns adjoining property, authorities said.

Another brother is among the missing.

The gang is known as the Universal Aryan Brotherhood. It has been involved in the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin and, more recently, fentanyl, according to multiple court records. Incarcerated leaders use contraband cellphones to direct its operations.

More:Is cellphone signal jamming the answer for drugs, violence in prisons?

The UAB was established in 1993 within Oklahoma prisons, the U.S. Justice Department said in a 2019 news release about a drug conspiracy indictment against members.

It modeled itself after the principles and ideology of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that formed in the 1960s, according to the news release.

Citing security concerns, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections declined to comment on what steps have been taken to prevent Mikell Smith from getting access to contraband cellphones.

"ODOC uses many investigative tools to reduce the number of illegal cellphones within facilities, including surveillance and canine searches," Kay Thompson, chief of communications, said Friday.

Special procedures for Mikell Smith in the past at the penitentiary were disclosed in a 2004 federal civil rights lawsuit that he lost. They included a requirement that his cell be thoroughly searched a minimum of two times a week.

Missing in Oklahoma since 2019: Charles Otto Overton

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (5)

The timeline describes the first person to go missing, Charles Otto Overton, as a known enforcer for Mikell Smith.

Overton had been in and out of prison since he was a teenager, court records show. His criminal convictions include car stealing and burglaries.

In 2018, after his last release from prison, he put his name on state papers as the owner of God's Miraculous Bully Kennel. Investigators have evidence he was living at the bully farm in January and February 2019.

"It is believed that Overton was killed in the Summer of 2019," an investigator wrote in a case summary. "None of the circumstances are known at this time."

He was 50 at the time of his disappearance.

Missing in Oklahoma since 2020: Cindy Ann Mulligan

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (6)

Cindy Ann Mulligan was last heard from on Feb. 26, 2020, when she called friends and told them she needed help, according to the timeline.

She had been living in a camper on the bully farm. She was 41.

She had been caught the week before with two pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Missouri but not arrested, records show. A key witness, admitted drug courier Josh Ryan, told investigators Mikell Smith had her killed because he believed she had "ratted them out."

Ryan has been identified by name as a witness in the investigation in public court filings in the murder case.

He told investigators he was present in Mulligan's camper when Mikell Smith questioned her over a cellphone "about getting caught and being released so quickly." Also present was an enforcer, Daniel Lee Lusk Sr.

Mikell Smith also was upset she had driven her car back to the bully farm after the traffic stop. He worried police had put a tracker on it.

"During the conversation Smith gave the order to kill Cindy," according to the reports on the witness statement. "Lusk shot Cindy several times."

Ryan said Lusk had zip tied her beforehand in the bedroom of her camper. Ryan said he was told to leave before the shooting.

Her body was burned, and her car was sold, he said.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (7)

Investigators reported the camper was found on the Logan County property during the search last year. "The bedroom at the front of the camper had multiple visible bullet holes," according to the records. "Zip ties were located inside the camper closet hanging from the closet bar. These zip ties were hooked together like handcuffs."

A friend, Gina Salinas, drove to the compound after Mulligan said in their last phone conversation to tell her daughter she loved her. She said she wanted to find out what happened.

"When she arrived at the entrance to the compound, she heard warning shots," an investigator wrote. "Salinas stated she got scared and went back to Missouri and never again heard from Mulligan."

Missing in Oklahoma since 2020: Bruce Wayne "Batman" Jacobs

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (8)

Bruce Wayne "Batman" Jacobs went missing on June 16, 2020, according to the timeline.

His girlfriend reported to Edmond police the pipeline worker had left their camper at Arcadia Lake about 8:15 a.m. His pickup was found the same morning on railroad tracks near Choctaw.

An investigative summary says his disappearance has a lot of similarities to the others. He was 52.

His sister, Rachel DiFatta, of Mississippi, is offering a $10,000 reward for information.

"They told me that it's possible he is one of them and he may not ever be identified," she told The Oklahoman in tears.

"My brother was an addict," she also said. "Unfortunately, we know that people, places and things can put you in danger when you do things like that."

Missing in Oklahoma since 2020: Phillip Martin Smith, Frederick Edward Mitchell

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (9)
Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (10)

Phillip Martin Smith, 61, and Frederick Edward Mitchell, 33, were last seen on Sept. 5, 2020, according to the timeline.

"Phillip is the brother of Mikell Smith 'Bulldog,'" an investigator wrote in a case summary. "We have information that Mikell ordered the hit on Phillip because he was taking homeless people to their mother's residence. Reportedly Mikell was afraid that Phillip would bring COVID into their mother's residence."

Several informants told investigators Phillip Smith had been invited to a party at the bully farm, according to the summary. He was killed first and then, according to interviews, "they got Mitchell."

Phillip Smith's car was found with its hood up on Sept. 7, 2020, less than three miles from the bully farm.

Missing in Oklahoma since 2020: Travis Neil Baker

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (11)

Travis Neil Baker was last seen at his girlfriend's house in Guthrie on Oct. 19, 2020, according to the timeline. His case was added to the investigation primarily because where he went missing is about four miles from the bully farm. He was 47.

Missing in Oklahoma since 2021: Daniel Lee Lusk Sr.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (12)

Lusk was reported missing on Jan. 15, 2021, according to the timeline. His pickup was found abandoned at a Sonic Drive-In in Jones.

He is suspected of murdering "multiple victims" while an enforcer for Mikell Smith, according to a case summary. He was 52.

Investigators have been told he was fatally shot after going to the bully farm to confront an ex-girlfriend, Shannon Longman, the summary shows. She had left Lusk for Mikell Smith.

Longman, 46, is awaiting sentencing in a federal drug case. In a letter to her judge from jail, she denied involvement in homicides. She wrote, "I know nothing to cooperate about!"

Missing in Oklahoma since 2021: David Anthony Orr

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (13)

David Anthony Orr spoke to his father for the last time on Jan. 16, 2021, according to the records. He was 41.

Prosecutors allege he was fatally shot that day or the next in the bedroom of a house in McLoud. He had been staying there with Jason Cornett.

The key witness, Ryan, said Orr "owed 'Bulldog' money and Jason was instructed to take care of the debt," an investigator reported in a court affidavit.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (14)

Mikell Smith is Cornett's uncle, according to the affidavit.

Cornett is charged with first-degree murder, unlawful removal of a dead body and desecration of a human corpse. He denies involvement, his attorney said.

Prosecutors allege Orr's body was burned in a steel box in the backyard. The remains were then disposed of at the bully farm, possibly after being burned again, according to the records.

Missing in Oklahoma since 2021: Dustin Lloyd Cyr, Elizabeth Christina Mourton

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (15)
Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (16)

Dustin Lloyd Cyr, 37, and Elizabeth Christina Mourton, 50, disappeared after they were cited for possession of methamphetamine at a hotel in Grove on May 17, 2021, according to the timeline.

Investigators believe they were killed after driving back to the bully farm.

A witness reported seeing Cyr's leg hanging out of his pickup at the site the next day, according to a case summary. A woman was seen slumped over a steering wheel in a blue SUV.

That witness said the bodies were burned on the property in a dumpster. The witness said he dumped their remains along R Road, about half a mile away.

Killed in 2022: Audrey Lynn Slack, Stephen Allen Walker II

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (17)
Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (18)

The same witness said he also moved the burnt remains of another couple, Audrey Lynn Slack and Stephen Allen Walker II.

They were from Missouri and had wed in Las Vegas in April 2021.

The timeline puts the date of their disappearance as Jan. 11, 2022. They were known to have been at the SureStay Plus Hotel in Edmond that morning.

Investigators believe they were killed at the bully farm. Their pickup was found abandoned six miles north. The inside had been splashed with a cleaning solution, possibly bleach. The seats were blood stained. A bullet hole was in a door.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (19)

Walker had been arrested after being pulled over in Arizona on Sept. 28, 2021, for speeding. He was charged after cocaine and methamphetamine were found in the vehicle, the records show.

He was released from jail on Oct. 2, 2021, on a $25,000 bond, according to the timeline.

The witness said Mikell Smith thought Walker had snitched because he got out of jail "real quick," according to a case summary. The witness said he moved the couple's ashes to the oil field lease road near Luther.

Another witness told investigators he overheard a conversation about the killing of a couple from Missouri, according to the summary. He recalled the conversation was that "the woman was pretty until she was face down in the blood."

Walker's skull was found in a pasture near Luther on May 14, 2022, an Oklahoma County sheriff's deputy wrote in one of the few public reports related to the disappearances.

A cattleman had spotted it on horseback and reported it was in a spot where a creek overflowed after a recent heavy rain. Walker had been shot in the head, just above the left eye.

The timeline shows Walker and Slack are the only two who have been positively identified from recovered remains.

The OSBI used DNA to identify Walker, records show. He was 49. A forensic anthropologist was able to identify his wife after reconstructing her skull from bone fragments. She was 21.

Exclusive: Secrecy surrounds probe into white supremacist gang over burnt bodies, meth and a growing list of missing people (2024)
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