Human Remains Found In Oklahoma Following The Disappearance Of Four Friends Who Went For A Bike Ride

Oklahoma authorities reported the findings of multiple human remains amid a search for four men who disappeared while on a bike ride.

The Okmulgee Police Department announced earlier this week that four friends, Mark Chastain, 32, Billy Chastain, 30, Mike Sparks, 32, and Alex Stevens, 29, were reported missing after never returning from a bike ride.

The men have been missing since Sunday. Okmulgee police chief Joe Prentice said on Friday that around 1:49 p.m. local time, authorities were alerted to “suspicious items in the river in the area of the bridge that goes across Sharp Road.”

Once police arrived at the scene, they found “what appears to be multiple human remains in the river,” Prentice said, adding that other local agencies are also helping with the “recovery process.”

“Currently, we have more questions than answers,” he said.

The families of the four men were notified about the remains, but, the identity of the remains have not been confirmed, PEOPLE reported.

“If it turns out that these four missing men are the remains in the river, then the focus of our investigation will shift from finding them to what happened to them,” said the police chief. “If it is determined that it is not them, then we will have a separate investigation.”

He added that while “multiple” remains were found, it’s difficult to determine the amount because they were all in the river.

The police will continue to canvass the area to learn more.

“There is definitely what appears to be body parts protruding from the water; I can’t tell you what’s under the water,” he said.

A passerby saw something suspicious floating in the water and alerted the police.

Prentice said that the river was not one of the locations mentioned by family members of the four men.

Prentice suggested that the new development is enough evidence to consider foul play now, adding that when he was at the scene, he did not see any bicycles.