No evidence of foul play in death of Oklahoma State Senate candidate, officials say

ERICK, Okla. (KSWO/Gray News) — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has released a statement on the death of Oklahoma Senate candidate Barry Christian.

In the statement released Thursday, the bureau said they have ruled there was no foul play involved in Christian’s death.

According to the report, OSBI’s assistance in efforts to locate Christian was requested on April 30 by Sayre Police after the department received a report the day prior.

OSBI said Christian’s truck was discovered by Beckham County deputies in the Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area, south of Erick, around 9:45 a.m. on April 30. A body, later identified as Christian, was found inside the vehicle.

OSBI said once Christian’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the departments worked together through the investigation.

According to OSBI, the bureau treated the case as a homicide in order to identify any evidence of foul play. Through examination of evidence, OSBI said no indication of foul play was found.

“The evidence establishes that Barry Christian died of a single gunshot wound, and that the physical evidence and the condition of the scene are inconsistent with the presence of another person being responsible for his death,“ said District Attorney Angela Marsee, who oversees Beckham County. ”If credible, legally admissible new evidence that another person caused Barry Christian’s death becomes available, the investigation will be reopened, and the evidence will be reconsidered.”

Marsee also said she and OSBI agents met with Christian’s family to discuss the findings before making the announcement.

This follows the initial report from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner labeling Christian’s death as a suicide, which was disputed by family members shortly after.

You can read the full statement from OSBI, including Marsee’s statement, below: