17-year-old vanished a year ago, Oklahoma cops say. Now, man charged in his killing

A man has been charged with murder in the death of a 17-year-old, whose remains were found more than a year after he mysteriously went missing, Oklahoma authorities say.

“Why would you take somebody so kind and so caring who had the entire world in his hands, who could have done so many good things and you just ripped that from him,” Aspen Lawton, a childhood friend of Teedeenae “Jackson” Yearby, told KFOR.

Yearby was staying with friends in Stillwater when he suddenly vanished in January 2023, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. He was reported missing when he stopped contacting his friends and family and quit going to work.

“My son Jackson moved in with friends back in November (2022). He enrolled himself into school & goes to work — with the understanding he would call me at least once a week to let me know he is OK,” his mother, Shema Lincoln, said Feb. 8, 2023. “He has gone a week without contact before but never close to two weeks. I’ve reached out to many people, the school and his work. Everyone has said the same dates when they talked to him last.”

The 17-year-old, who was affiliated with the Seminole, Muscogee and Choctaw tribes, remained missing for more than a year as the Stillwater Police Department continues its investigation.

On April 17, 2024, Stillwater police announced the arrest of 19-year-old Quinlan Phipps, who is charged with first-degree murder. Authorities did not state how Phipps and Yearby knew one another or what led to Yearby’s death.

Remains that are believed to be Yearby’s were recovered six days later on April 23, police said. A cause of death will be determined by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office.

Stillwater Police Lt. TJ Low told KOCO the department received tips “very recently” that led to Phipps’ arrest.

Yearby had two younger brothers and “loved to make people smile and his laugh lit up a room,” said the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women organization, which assisted in the investigation.

This story was originally published April 24, 2024 at 8:53 AM with the headline "17-year-old vanished a year ago, Oklahoma cops say. Now, man charged in his killing."