Le Flore County, Okla. – Three men have been arrested in connection with a missing Arkansas woman whose body was located in Rock Island, Oklahoma.
On July 19, Fort Smith Police Department issued a missing person report for 40-year-old Tara Strozier of Fort Smith, Arkansas, after she was last seen driving a black Volkswagen Jetta with a Florida license plate. According to authorities, Fort Smith police reached out to Le Flore County Sheriff’s Office, requesting assistance when they received intel that Strozier may be in the Cameron area.
On July 24, the victim’s vehicle was located in Cameron and clearly abandoned as Strozier was nowhere in sight. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Le Flore County Sheriff’s Office considered the potential of foul play when they found the abandoned Volkswagen. (OSBI advisory, released July 30) At this point, the Le Flore County authorities requested assistance from OSBI.
Three suspects were arrested in connection to the victim’s death. According to reports, officials think that Strozier was tortured. Authorities believe the torture took place in an unoccupied mobile home located near Neblett Ridge Road. OSBI believes the victim was murdered in Rock Island right next to the pond.
The three suspects were identified as 30-year-old Alex Nathaniel Davis, Austin Johnson, 23, and 24-year-old Kaelin Hutchinson. According to the OSBI advisory, Davis admitted to murdering the victim “while Johnson was present.” According to the advisory, Strozier’s body was weighed down and thrown into the pond. Her body surfaced from the pond near Rock Island on July 29.
As a result of the joint investigation, the suspects were arrested and booked into the Le Flore County Detention Center on July 29. Hutchinson is charged with Obstruction of an Officer while Davis is charged with Murder in the First Degree and Kidnapping. Johnson faces a First Degree Murder charge.
