30 Years After A Man Was Murdered And Left In the Oklahoma Woods, Police Arrested A Suspect In The Case

More than 30 years after a man was killed in Oklahoma, police say they have arrested a suspect in the case.

This week, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of John Wesley Smith. He was charged in connection to the cold-case murder of John Randall O’Steen.

On May 20, 1993, an anonymous caller told the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office where remains could be found. Police responded to the area and started to investigate the murder.

After several days of searching, they found the remains of a man in the woods, according to investigators.

Smith was identified as a potential suspect in the murder and disappearance of O’Steen early in the investigation but was not charged, authorities said.

In 2012, police used DNA to match the remains to O’Steen.

Then 10 years later, police charged Smith with first-degree murder. Investigators did not say what led them to finally charge Smith after three decades.