Lincoln County names person of interest in woman’s suspicious death near Wellston

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious death after a woman was found dead in a wooded area near Wellston over the weekend.

Sheriff Charlie Dougherty said deputies received a call just after 9 p.m. Saturday from a man who reported his neighbor had come to his house, saying he had found a body about a half-mile from his home. Investigators say the man told his neighbor the woman had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound before running away.

Deputies responded to the location the man described and found the victim’s SUV. After hours of searching the heavily wooded area, deputies located the woman’s body Sunday morning.

Investigators said they also found a gun belonging to the woman at the scene. Her identity has not been released.

The man has been named a person of interest in the case. Investigators said they want to know why he did not call 911 after finding his friend’s body. The sheriff’s office said the woman had helped the man move several times in the past.

The person of interest was previously investigated in connection with a separate homicide case in Midwest City.