The Choctaw Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI, MBI, and Newton County Sheriff’s Department, continue to conduct a homicide investigation of the two deceased persons discovered Friday, March 4, 2022, in the Conehatta community (Newton County).
The individuals discovered have been identified as 26-year-old Caucasian Breanna Strickland and 21-year-old Caucasian Kaitlyn Goolsby.
This is an on-going homicide investigation, and no further details are available at this time. Persons with information regarding this crime are encouraged to call the Newton County Sheriff’s Department at 601-635-4401, the Choctaw Police Department at 601-656-5711 or the FBI at 601-948-5000.
The brutal murders of the young women, whose bodies were found between Conehatta and Sulpher Springs March 4, appears to be an isolated event in spite of internet rumors of additional bodies being found in Scott County, Sheriff Mike Lee said Monday evening.
In a prepared statement the sheriff said, “today the Scott County Sheriff’s Office has received a number of calls in relation to the Newton County incident where two victims bodies were discovered this past Friday.
“At this time, no other victims have been discovered by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department or any other agency surrounding Scott County including Newton County. We believe this was an isolated occurrence. We ask that everyone always remain vigilant, but we stress the current belief is that this was an isolated event. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is keeping us up to date with what they can on the investigation and we are assisting in anyway since it was so close to our county. Our prayers are with the victims families. If you have any information about this case please notify the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. We will work to keep you updated if there are any changes.”
In neighboring Newton County, where the bodies were found, Sheriff Joedy Pennington had the same message for his county residents.
“There have not been any additional murders in our county or any surrounding counties other than the two that occurred on Friday,” Pennington said in a phone interview Monday night with the Newton County Appeal. “Those rumors are false. Our office has answered countless phone calls about additional murders occurring here, and that has taken our deputies off the case to answer those rumors.
“I would like to ask everyone to please not post or share anything that is not factually correct or did not come from a law enforcement officer working this case. We have been working this case 24 hours a day since we responded around 2:00 o’clock Friday. This is a multi-agency investigation with us, the Choctaw Police Department, the FBI and MBI. And we will not stop until we have the person who did this in custody.”
The bodies were found by a resident in the area of Mac Road and McDill Road west of Conehatta near the Newton/Scott County line.
