Two men are currently being held in the Haskell County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection to the homicide of Tina Mitchell, 56, of Stigler.
According to Haskell County Assistant District Attorney James Green, formal charges are expected to be filed early next week against Billy Mitchell, 49, of Stigler, and Jack Swanda, 39, of Muskogee. The two men are currently being held on a $2 million bond each for the homicide, which occurred on April 5.
Green said the duo is expected to make an initial court appearance on April 15.
The Haskell County Sheriff ’s Department reported receiving a 911 call at about 6 p.m. on April 5. Deputies traveled to a property between Garland and Cass, just off Tamaha Road to the east, where they spotted a male subject, later identified as Swanda, covered in blood.
According to Haskell County Sheriff Terry Garland, Swanda suffered stab wounds to both his neck and shoulder and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Upon release from the hospital, he was arrested and booked into the Haskell County Jail.
Tina Mitchell’s body was discovered with stab wounds and multiple apparent gunshot wounds. She was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to a press release issued by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI).
OSBI and local law enforcement began searching for Billy Mitchell after he was identified as a suspect. He reportedly fled on foot and was found hours later hiding at a nearby property. He was then arrested and booked into the Haskell County Jail.
The next morning, deputies and agents continued their search of the property and discovered a second deceased individual. The individual was transported to the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office to determine a cause of death.
Garland said that he expects the death to be a result of foul play and that the sheriff ’s office will have more information once the medical examiner’s reports are released.
As of press time, the deceased individual’s name has not been released.
“I hate it for the families, because that’s who it affects the most right now, because they have to deal with it. The families are in our thoughts and prayers, and we’re doing everything we can possibly do to make this as easy for them as possible,” Garland said.
