Family identifies woman killed in Oklahoma double homicide
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A sister is holding onto memories of Tara Barnett-Underwood, who she says was one of the two people killed during their shift at LaFerry's Propane in Gans, Oklahoma, on June 18.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) special agents have identified 50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake as a person of interest. Drake was taken into custody Thursday morning in Arkansas.
On Tuesday, June 18, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from OSBI after finding a man and a woman dead inside a business in Gans. Investigators identified 50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake of Birmingham, Ala., as a suspect in the murder case.
According to OSBI, a vehicle allegedly stolen by Drake was found in Morrilton, Ark., later that night, leading investigators to believe he was in that area.
The second victim, a male, currently remains unidentified.
Tara Underwood was working a typical shift at LaFerry's Propane the day of the homicides, Tia Barnett, the victim's younger sister, said.
"She was there with a coworker in her office," Barnett said. "[The suspect] came off the interstate to, I guess, get another vehicle to continue his spree. And her's was just right there."
Barnett was driving when she received a phone call from Robert Underwood, the victim's husband, who delivered the terrible news.
"He was just distraught and crying and I looked at my husband like, what? What's going on?" Barnett said.
After learning of her sister's death, Barnett pulled over to the side of the road and immediately began making phone calls to the rest of her family, she said.
Even in the grief, she finds time to remember the person her sister was.
"It was a lot of fun being her little sister," Barnett said. "She was the life of the party. In school, she was the 'it' girl. Everyone knew who she was."
In addition to Barnett and their father, Randy Barnett, Underwood-Barnett is survived by her husband and three children.
"She channeled that being fun at school into being a fun mom as well," Barnett said. "She was just so awesome at everything she did."
As the Barnetts process their grief, the fact that the suspected killer remains at large weighs on their shoulders.
"I'm honestly scared," Barnett said. "It is going to take some time to get over that fear of thinking 'okay, he's still out there.'"
The Barnetts urge people to share and repost any information about the homicide or the suspect. Randy Barnett is currently running a GoFundMe page with a goal of $9000 to help the family cover funeral expenses.
"It could happen to anyone. I hope that we get the justice that she deserves. Her family, her kids deserve the justice."