LEFLORE COUNTY, Okla. – The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is assisting the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office with an investigation after the body of a woman missing out of Ft. Smith, Arkansas is found in a pond near Rock Island, in LeFlore County.
On July 19, 2021, the Fort Smith, Arkansas Police Department listed 40-year-old Tara Strozier as a missing person. Strozier was last known to be driving a black Volkswagen Jetta with Florida license plates. Fort Smith Police requested the Leflore County Sheriff’s Office assistance after information indicated Strozier was possibly last seen in the Cameron, Okla., area.
On July 24, 2021, a black Volkswagen Jetta was found abandoned in a private drive located in Cameron. The LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office suspected foul play after the car was located without any sign of Strozier. On July 26, 2021, the Sheriff’s Office requested OSBI investigative assistance.
Based on the joint investigation, authorities believe Strozier was tortured at an unoccupied mobile home off Neblett Ridge Road in Cameron before being murdered by the pond near Rock Island. Authorities have identified three suspects in the disappearance and murder of Strozier – Alex Nathaniel Davis (30), Austin Johnson (23) and Kaelin Hutchinson (24).
On July 29, 2021, Davis admitted to killing Strozier while Johnson was present. After she was killed by the pond, they weighed her body down and threw her into the pond. Strozier’s body was found yesterday evening.
Davis, Johnson and Hutchinson were all arrested on July 29, 2021 and booked into the LeFlore County Detention Center. Davis is charged with Murder in the First Degree and Kidnapping. Johnson is also facing a First Degree Murder charge and Hutchinson is charged with Obstruction of an Officer.