Police identify body found in December 2022, update on one found Friday

Lawton police have released information regarding two bodies found in the city limits, one in December 2022 and another found last week behind a local business.

The human remains found on Dec. 5, 2022, near the intersection of Northwest 38th Street and Rogers Lane have been identified as Kyle Ketchum, 29, from Lawton, according to Sgt. Christopher Blessing, Lawton Police information officer. The identification followed an autopsy by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office.

Ketchum had been reported missing by family and friends before the discovery.

Blessing said investigators are awaiting the medical examiner’s determination of cause of death and, if anything suspicious is identified, will continue its investigation into his death.

A woman’s body found last Friday behind Mattress King, 1316 N. Sheridan, has been taken to the medical examiner’s office for identification and autopsy, Blessing said.

“It’s looking like a weather/heat-related death,” he said.

Temperatures spiked around 110 degrees last Friday. There have been several medical calls due to heat-related malaise as temperatures coupled with the heat index have been in the 100-plus for most of the this month.

When Ketchum was found, however, winter temperatures aren’t as much of a consideration for his cause of death. Records indicate the high temperature on Dec. 5, 2022, was 77 degrees and a low of 46 degrees. In the days prior, the high temperatures ranged from 72 degrees to 48 degrees and 34 degrees was the lowest temperature reported.