5-year-old killed, burned and left in creek, then Oklahoma dad confesses, feds say
.png "Adley Grace Mason was 5 years old when she was killed in Creek County, Oklahoma. Her father pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.")
An Oklahoma man is waiting to be sentenced after officials say he killed his 5-year-old daughter then dumped her body in a creek.
Adam Raymond Mason, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Jan. 23 in Indian Country, according to court records.
Adley Grace Mason was “wonderful and was so full of life,” Pastor John Tidwell told KWTV just days after she was found dead in August 2020.
On Aug. 26, 2020, Adley’s mother told authorities that Adley was with her father, Mason, and she was concerned because he did not allow her to speak with Adley that morning, according to a criminal complaint.
The Creek County Sheriff’s Office went to Mason’s home to check on Adley. That’s when they found her burned body hidden in a creek bed, the complaint said.
Authorities found Mason about a mile away from the home and took him in for questioning.
He told investigators that he believed Adley was “controlled by witchcraft,” so he punched her in the face, according to officials.
Mason then said he drowned Adley in a bathtub, put her body in a creek and burned it, officials said.
“This is a tragic case. Mr. Mason was addicted to methamphetamine and acted in the midst of a methamphetamine hallucination. He accepts responsibility for his acts and expresses remorse for his terrible actions,” Mason’s attorney, Jon Sands, told McClatchy News in an email.
“This is heartbreaking,” U.S. Attorney Trent Shores said in a Aug. 28, 2020, news release, adding that Adley was supposed to start kindergarten a week later.
Mason will be sentenced at a later date. He faces life in prison.
Creek County is about 80 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 9:44 AM with the headline "5-year-old killed, burned and left in creek, then Oklahoma dad confesses, feds say."
