Body found in cellar may be boyfriend of missing woman, cops say. Two men arrested
man missing since December is believed to have been found dead in the cellar of an Oklahoma home, police say.
Two men are accused of killing 27-year-old Colby Sheppard, whose death may be connected to a separate missing persons case in Enid, according to the Enid Police Department.
The remains of Sheppard were discovered Aug. 27, leading to the arrests of two men on “complaints of first-degree murder,” police said. Both men, ages 44 and 55, were already in custody on unrelated charges.
McClatchy News is not naming the arrested men because formal murder charges have not been filed.
Sheppard was reported missing in January after last being seen Dec. 27 at a Pizza Hut in Enid, police say.
Sheppard, according to The Charley Project, was the boyfriend of Kendra Battelo, a 27-year-old woman who has been missing since July 2022.
The Charley Project says Battelo was a victim of a domestic violence case against Sheppard, but the case was dismissed after Battelo vanished.
“Evidence suggests Mr. Sheppard was killed in retaliation for his rumored involvement in Kendra Battelo’s disappearance in 2022, though detectives have not found any evidence to support the allegation,” police said.
Battelo was reported missing July 12, 2022, about four days after last being seen by family members, Enid police said.
Sheppard was not publicly identified as a person of interest in her disappearance, but SolveTheCase.org reports he was brought in for questioning multiple times.
Police said Battelo is still missing, and her case remains under investigation.
“We’ve conducted several interviews, executed multiple search warrants on several vehicles, residences and devices, conducted several field searches, employed our department’s drone and followed up on each and every tip we’ve received,” Cass Raines with the Enid Police Department told KWTV in September 2022.
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Body found in cellar may be boyfriend of missing woman, cops say. Two men arrested."