Authorities have arrested five people and filed multiple felony charges in connection with the killing of a Muskogee man whose body was discovered last fall along the Arkansas River in Van Buren, Ark.

Investigators say the homicide occurred in Muldrow and involved the transport and disposal of the victim’s body across state lines.

Van Buren police were alerted around 5 p.m. on Nov. 14 after a caller reported a possible body near the south end of Lee Creek Drive, close to the Arkansas River.

Officers located a deceased man later identified by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory as Derek C. Marshall, 30, of Muskogee.

An autopsy determined Marshall died from multiple gunshot wounds and the case was immediately classified as a homicide.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) became involved on Nov. 17 at the request of Van Buren police. Through the investigation, agents determined Marshall had been killed several days earlier, on Nov. 5, at a location in Muldrow.

Authorities allege Marshall was bound with duct tape, wrapped in a tarp, shot, and later transported to Arkansas, where his body was left near the river.

Based on evidence gathered, investigators identified five suspects. Danny W. Goad, 59, of Muskogee, has been charged in Sequoyah County District Court with first-degree murder with deliberate intent and possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.

Prosecutors allege Goad shot Marshall with malice aforethought between Nov. 5 and 6, causing his death.

According to court records, Goad is scheduled to appear in Sequoyah County District Court for a March 3 felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

A felony arrest warrant for Goad was issued Nov. 25, ordering he be held without bond. If convicted, Goad faces a possible sentence of death, life imprisonment or life without parole.

The firearm charge stems from a prior 2001 felony conviction in Seminole County and carries a potential sentence of one to 10 years in prison. Goad was already in custody at the Muskogee County Jail on unrelated charges when the new charges were filed.

Jason W. Quick, 46, of Sequoyah County, has been charged with accessory to murder in the first degree under the Sergeant Craig Johnson Act.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by OSBI Special Agent Justin Dowell, a cooperating witness linked Quick to the disposal of Marshall’s body.

The witness told investigators that on or about Nov. 6, they were at Quick’s residence near Short, when Rhonda Jeremiah arrived and reported a dead body had been in a shop on Jerry Pratt’s property for about 24 hours. The witness said Quick suggested burning the shop to destroy evidence.

The affidavit states Quick left with Jeremiah wearing gloves and later returned driving a white pickup truck with a body wrapped in a tarp in the bed.

Quick and the witness allegedly transported the body to a location overlooking the Arkansas River in Van Buren, where they removed it from the truck and placed it into the river before returning to Oklahoma.

The investigation also led agents to a property outside Muldrow owned by Pratt, 56. A search warrant was served there Nov. 21, and OSBI crime scene agents collected shell casings, projectiles and suspected blood evidence, which were sent for forensic analysis.

Pratt was arrested on complaints of accessory to murder, destruction of evidence and possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony.

During interviews, Pratt acknowledged Marshall had been killed inside a shop on his property and admitted purchasing a white 2004 Ford F-150 pickup truck that he later sold to Nathern England.

Surveillance footage from the Bekaert Corporation in Van Buren showed a white Ford pickup traveling past the facility around 9:03 p.m. Nov. 6, backing into an area overlooking the Arkansas River and leaving about eight minutes later.

England, 56, was interviewed twice by OSBI agents and admitted being on Pratt’s property the night of the homicide, saying he heard gunshots and left out of fear.

He initially denied owning or having access to a white Ford pickup but later acknowledged having possession of the truck around the time of the homicide.

England disclosed its location, and the vehicle— a white 2004 Ford F-150 bearing Oklahoma tag QVZ-824—was recovered Dec. 3 and identified as closely resembling the truck seen in the surveillance footage. England has been charged with obstructing an officer in connection with the investigation.

In addition to Goad, Quick, Pratt and England, Jeremiah, 56, was arrested and booked into the Sequoyah County Jail on a charge of accessory after the fact.

OSBI said the arrests followed weeks of coordinated investigative work and cooperation among multiple agencies, including the Van Buren Police Department, Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.