Murder suspect in Elk City Hospital under Guard

A man suspected of the murder of a Sayre man and the torching of his body and home in Sayre is under arrest and was charged on Wednesday with first degree murder, first degree arson, kidnapping, and felon in possession of a firearm.

On Tuesday the Sayre Police Department requested OSBI investigative assistance with a homicide that took place overnight Monday into Tuesday. Firefighters responded to a house fire early Tuesday morning at 209 S. Broadway. Police received a tip that a homicide victim was inside, according to OSBI Spokesman Jessica Brown. A badly burned body has been found inside the house. The victim’s wife confirmed to special agents she witnessed Jerry Essary’s murder. She was able to flee the scene before the suspect set the house on fire. She hid in the neighborhood until law enforcement responded to the scene. The suspect, Russell Dumlao, was found unresponsive in his pickup truck approximately 100 yards from the home where the homicide and arson took place. He was transported to an Elk City hospital and as of Wednesday was still in custody under guard at the hospital in Elk City The woman who witnessed her husband’s murder was also transported to an area hospital for injuries to her face allegedly inflicted by Dumlao.