Investigators are ramping up their search for Glenda “Cookie” Parton and her 59-year-old son, Dwayne Selby, after the remains of Dwayne's friend, Jack Grimes, were found by deer hunters, officials said.
An Oklahoma woman has mysteriously disappeared while searching for her missing son and his friend, whose remains were discovered by deer hunters in a wooded rural area near Tulsa on Sunday, officials said.
The medical examiner positively identified the remains as Jack Grimes, 76. His manner of death has not been released, but his death has now been ruled a homicide, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO).
Now investigators are ramping up their search for Glenda “Cookie” Parton and her 59-year-old son, Dwayne Selby, who are still missing, officials said.
At a Tuesday press briefing, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado said that deputies are going back to the area where they found Grimes’ remains to search it again for additional victims as they “can’t rule out the possibility that Glenda and Dwayne have been met with foul play.”
A Silver Alert was issued for Grimes when he first went missing. He was last seen with Selby on Oct. 22. The two men, who lived together and were best friends, were reportedly headed to Fort Worth, Texas, for a horse show together but never arrived. On Oct. 28, Grimes' red Ford Taurus, the car Selby and Grimes were supposed to have traveled to Texas together in, was found abandoned in Mohawk Park, officials said.
Parton, who came to the Turley, Oklahoma, area last week to search for her son, was last seen on Oct. 25. A Silver Alert was also issued for her after her red Kia Rio, was found abandoned off Highway 75 near 56th St North in Tulsa on Oct. 26, officials said.
Parton was last seen on a video with an unidentified man at a business in the Turley area, right before she disappeared, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
TCSO Communications Director Casey Roebuck told Inside Edition Digital that the man Parton was last seen with has been identified and interviewed.
“We did not arrest him,” Roebuck said. “No one has been ruled out as a person of interest at this point.”
Regalado said that they are “following leads," but they aren’t releasing any further information at this time.
“We are in the early stages of the investigation and we don't know if is related at this time, but the horse business is what binds them,” the sheriff said.
“The horse business is very significant here in Oklahoma. If there are any individuals out there that can provide information that might be helpful in the case we encourage them to contact us,” Regalado said.
The sheriff said drones and cadaver dogs are being used in the search and that they are concentrating in the area where Grimes' remains were found. They are also planning to search the area where Parton’s and Grimes' cars were found.
Regalado pointed to a map during the press briefing and said the rural area is massive and difficult to cordon off. He asked if any hunters or hikers happen to stumble across something that may be evidence, that they pin the location and contact authorities, and not touch anything
The sheriff responded to a reporter who asked about some of the challenges they are facing. “I think the entire case is a challenge. We lack motive. We have a crime scene from 59th to Mohawk Park which is a lot of rural areas. We have two missing persons and we have no idea whether they are alive or not. And we just identified Jack’s remains,” he said. “From an investigative standpoint, the murder investigation started Oct. 31. We confirmed it today but when the remains were found, that was when the real murder investigation started. Prior to that, it was a missing person case.”
Regalado asked anyone with information about the individuals to contact detectives, especially regarding the last time they were seen, or anything pertinent in their background that may help in the investigation.
“We hold out hope that Glenda and Dwayne are fine and these are just weird circumstances for them, but at the same time we have to explore all of our options,” Regalado said.
A tip line has been set up for tips in this investigation: 918-596-8836. Tips can also be emailed to: tips@tcso.org.
