Oklahoma man hit and killed along I-44 identified

A man from Chelsea, Oklahoma, has been identified as the man who was found dead along Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma Friday afternoon. Read the full press release from the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service below:

On Friday, July 29, 2022, at approximately 1:45 pm, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), Quapaw Nation Marshal Service (QNMS) and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched near mile marker 319.8 on the Will Rogers Turnpike (I-44) regarding a human body that had been located by Oklahoma Turnpike Authority workers, within the Quapaw Nation Reservation boundaries.

Law Enforcement Authorities on scene began investigating the incident and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s (ME) office was contacted and responded to the scene. Once the ME was on scene, the individual later identified as Richard Lee Atchley, 53, a Cherokee tribal member from Chelsea, Oklahoma, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of death was determined to be from Atchley being struck by a motor vehicle in the west bound lane of I-44. The motor vehicle that struck Atchley did not stop or report the incident to the authorities.

Authorities are asking if anyone was traveling on the Will Rogers Turnpike in the area of mile markers 319 – 320 on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, from 10:00pm to 11:30pm and saw an individual on or near the roadway or any motor vehicles that may have been stopped or struck something in the west bound lanes of I-44, please contact the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service at (918) 238-3137.

The accident investigation is ongoing by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Investigative Division and the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service.