Man Arrested, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Suspicious Disappearance Case

A man has been arrested in connection to a man found dead in Lincoln County, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

A Harrah man's reported disappearance last Friday turned into a murder investigation and arrest. The suspect has been accused of killing his relative and dumping the victim’s body in rural Lincoln County. Court documents revealed 30-year-old Chuck White’s confession and possible motive for the murder.

Bob Mills Sky News 9 flew over the rural Lincoln County road Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations agents were led to over the weekend. They found the body of 59-year-old Terry Hause. Agents said Hause's head and face were covered in lacerations. Less than 24 hours earlier, Harrah police were notified Hause was missing.

“At the time he was listed as missing and an endangered person,” said Chief Marty Burns, Harrah Police Department. “That’s when we started our search for him.”

Court documents showed the victim lived in Harrah with several family members. White recently moved in which created tension between the men. One of the roommates reported leaving for work last Friday morning. They came home to find blood in the living room and a blood-soaked recliner. The roommate asked White what happened, and he allegedly replied, "The problem is gone,” according to court documents.

“We believe the suspect transported the victim’s body from that homicide scene in Harrah to that rural area in Lincoln County,” said Hunter McKee, OSBI.

White was arrested during a traffic stop in Spencer. During a search of his vehicle, police found two knives and a phone. Investigators said phone records placed White and the victim in the same location in Lincoln County the day Hause went missing. State agents also learned White visited a relative's home and burned several items. White told investigators he beat Hause with a baseball bat for allegedly molesting a nephew.

“We were able to find him in less than 24 hours,” said McKee. “Obviously, he was found dead which is very sad but the fact that we were able to find him quickly and the person we believe is responsible for his death is something all the agencies are extremely grateful for.”

McKee said the investigation was ongoing.

White was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on one complaint of first-degree murder and desecration of a human corpse.

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