Authorities in central Oklahoma are investigating the death of a 49-year-old woman whose body was discovered inside a household trash container outside her Edmond residence, a case that has led to one of her adopted teenage sons being taken into juvenile custody.
The victim, identified as Spring Weems, was found Wednesday afternoon at a home in the Cascata Falls neighborhood after police were called to the property to respond to a reported disturbance involving two teenagers who lived in the residence.
During their response, officers learned that Weems had been killed and that her body had been concealed inside a poly cart trash bin used for residential collection, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Juvenile taken into custody as homicide investigation unfolds
Investigators said deputies searched the property after one of the teenagers told officers that his brother was responsible for their mother’s death. Weems’s remains were subsequently located outside the home. Authorities described her injuries as suspicious and consistent with a homicide. An autopsy has been ordered and will be conducted by the medical examiner’s office.
OSBI confirmed that one of Weems’s adopted sons has been placed in a juvenile detention facility on a complaint of first-degree murder. Formal charges have not yet been filed. Because the suspect is a minor, officials have not released his name or exact age.
Logan County Undersheriff Troy Dykes told the Daily Mail that the two teenagers involved in the incident were 16 and 17 years old and emphasized that the case remains in the early stages of the investigation.
Authorities said Weems lived in the home with the two teenagers and was believed to be their sole guardian. OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee said officials are coordinating with the state to ensure appropriate placement and care for the surviving child.
Community shaken by rare violent crime
Property records indicate that Weems was the sole owner of the Edmond home, which is valued at approximately $340,000.
The case has unsettled residents in the Cascata Falls neighborhood, where neighbors say serious crime is uncommon. One resident told local station KFOR that the area is typically quiet, with families spending time outdoors and children riding bikes through the streets.
Publicly available social media posts show that Weems was active in her children’s lives, frequently attending school events and sharing their achievements online. She also openly expressed her Christian faith and was believed to attend the non-denominational evangelical Life Church. At least one of her sons previously participated in the church’s youth program, Switch.
Weems’s body has been transported to the medical examiner’s office as investigators continue working to determine the circumstances that led to her death. Authorities have said additional details will be released as the investigation progresses.
