Troy Tolton, a 47-year-old man Tecumseh resident, was found buried in a blue tarp on a Pottawatomie County property on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Two women who lived at the home are now in custody.

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Tuesday, Oct. 20, that the remains belong to Tolton, who had been missing since late July. Department officials said at a press conference that the case is now a homicide investigation, News 9 reported.

Tolton's daughter reported him missing on Aug. 13 after no contact since July 31. According to a probable cause affidavit detailed by OKC Fox, investigators could not find anyone who spoke with Tolton after July 29.

"Agnes is the only individual identified during the investigation who has reported seeing Troy on July 31st, 2026," the affidavit states.

Agnes Crenshaw, 51, told investigators Tolton left their Tecumseh home on July 31 to pick up a trailer and help his nephew move toward Del City. He never arrived.

Truck location raises questions about timeline

The Oklahoma City Police Department played a key role in the investigation. OKCPD located Tolton's truck on Aug. 15 near SE 104th Street and Peebly Road in Oklahoma City. The vehicle was locked and had no keys inside, according to KFOR.

An OKCPD vehicle equipped with an automatic license plate reader captured Tolton's truck at that intersection on Aug. 10, according to the affidavit. Investigators believe the truck was placed there between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10, days after Crenshaw said Tolton left on July 31.

Detectives also used Flock surveillance cameras to check the route Crenshaw described Tolton taking. The affidavit states that a Flock camera along or near 192nd Street did not capture his truck during the timeframe indicated by his cellphone records.

Search warrant leads to buried remains

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office and the 23rd Judicial District Drug and Violent Crime Task Force obtained a search warrant for the property near Pink where Tolton, Crenshaw and her sister Monica Pacheco lived.

Capt. Jared Strand of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office said investigators found an area where the ground appeared disturbed, according to News 9. They also found a rented excavator nearby. Pacheco told them she rented the equipment to dig a burn pit for tree limbs.

GPS tracking on the excavator confirmed it was used in the area of the disturbed ground. Court documents showed the excavator was rented on July 31, the same day Crenshaw said she last saw Tolton, News 9 reported.

The body was found wrapped in a blue tarp secured with black tape.

The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the remains were Tolton's. Earlier in the investigation, investigators were told the medical examiner's preliminary findings showed injuries consistent with homicide, according to News 9.

Charges and prior conflict

Crenshaw and Pacheco, 53, were arrested on complaints of unlawful removal of the dead and desecration of a human corpse. Investigators said the two women gave conflicting stories about Tolton's whereabouts, according to News 9.

The affidavit also described a history of conflict at the home. Crenshaw told detectives she and Tolton had been arguing for two days before he left. Authorities said Pacheco had a previous confrontation with Tolton in June. A witness told detectives Pacheco fired a gun during that earlier fight, but no one was hit, according to the affidavit.

Carmen Tolton, Troy Tolton's daughter, told News 9 that Crenshaw never reported her father missing and gave away his belongings.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office.