CHEROKEE COUNTY, Okla. — It was the afternoon of November 29, 2021.
An operator with road repair crew working in eastern Cherokee County noticed a body leaning up against a tree. They called a supervisor who called the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Jason Chennault took 2 News back to the scene.
He believes someone killed Miguel Ortega across the county line and then brought the body to the remote area.
Chennault thinks the people responsible for Ortega's death were familiar with the area and didn't plan on his body being visible from the roadway after dumping him. He said it's clear Ortega suffered greatly.
“He was shot, and he had some burn marks and whoever did it took some time with him, and then they did what they could to conceal him and put him in an area like this. They put him in some trash bags and bound his hands above his head and pretty much just tossed him out like garbage,” said Chennault.
Despite not having any ID on the body, investigators identified Ortega through a tattoo that consisted of the letters A, Y, I, A, and J.
“He had a tattoo on his forearm that was pretty clear still even with the way his body had aged and so we were able to make an ID off of that and the ME was able to verify it,” said Chennault.
Investigators later discovered Ortega, 27, lived in Decatur, Arkansas.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office does not have any new leads and needs the public’s help to solve this cold case and put Ortega’s murderer behind bars.
Anyone with information about the death of Miguel Ortega can contact the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at 918-456-2583.
Go even deeper into cold cases in Green Country with our podcast. New episodes drop in Fridays.
