Guthrie Businessman Arrested In Connection To Body Of Missing Man Discovered Buried Underground

A Logan County businessman was arrested Thursday in connection to the discovery of human remains belonging to a man reported missing in September.

Daniel Triplett, 66, of Guthrie was arrested without incident at his residence Thursday.

Triplett was booked into the Logan County jail on complaints of first-degree murder and desecration of a human corpse.

According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), Brent Mack, 55, was reported missing on September 29.

Family members told officers Mack was last seen in Guthrie near 1st Street and Cleveland on September 20.

“It’s been a lot of heart ache, a lot of pain,” Mack’s brother, Troy Franklin-Smith said. “We finally got some closure.”

Family said they spent 30 days looking for Mack. They were shocked to learn the father’s body was found.

“I thought I was ready to know but when it hit me, it just hit me,” Franklin-Smith said. “Pretty devastating news when we got it. At the same time, we are happy that the closure is now coming.”

Mack’s family told News 9 Mack worked for Triplett’s septic tank installation business.

OSBI said Mack’s body was discovered at a location northeast of Crescent.

The Guthrie News Page reports Mack’s body was found underneath a septic tank at a home.

Mack’s family described his relationship with Triplett as hot and hold. They said they never expected something like this to happen.

“He (Triplett) just kept feeding my dad these lies about ‘Oh, I’m going to eventually give you this company and you’re going to take over,’” Mack’s daughter, Raychelle Wilson said. “My dad saw all of Dan’s sides, the good, the bad, the ugly, so everything that Dan was doing that he wasn’t supposed to be doing, my dad was aware.”

As Mack’s family figures out what’s next, they take comfort in knowing the justice system has only just begun.

“Ultimately it’s not our judgement,” Franklin-Smith said. “He’s got to meet the man himself but here on earth, we want him to pay for what he has done.”

Triplett was a member of Guthrie’s City Council in the late 80s and early 90s.

Mack’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral costs.