Cold Case Files:Kansas native who was living in rural Ottawa County was found shit dead inhis in 2019 own yard in 2018

Miles Everett Rentfrow

On a Friday evening in April 2018, deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a quiet residential address at 43 East First Street in the small community of Peoria in northeast Oklahoma. What they found was the body of 52-year-old Miles Everett Rentfrow lying unresponsive in his own yard.

He had been shot once in the chest and had lost a significant amount of blood. Emergency responders could do nothing to save him. The death was quickly ruled a homicide, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation joined local authorities in what became a multi-agency effort.

Peoria is a tiny, unincorporated place in Ottawa County, part of the historic Tri-State mining district known for its lead and zinc heritage and its location near the Kansas and Missouri borders. Life there is typically quiet, which made the shooting of a local man in his own yard all the more shocking to neighbors.

The body was transported to the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest. Evidence recovered from the scene, including shrapnel, indicated that a small-caliber firearm was used in the killing.

Despite the involvement of multiple law enforcement agencies and public appeals for information, no arrests have been made more than eight years later. No suspect or vehicle descriptions have been publicly released, and authorities have shared few details about a possible motive.

It remains unknown whether Rentfrow knew his killer, whether the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute, or whether it was a random act of violence. No clear links to drugs, robbery, or other criminal activity were highlighted in initial reports, leaving investigators and the community searching for answers.

The case drew regional attention in the days following the discovery, with coverage from stations serving the four-state area. Over time it has been featured in cold case databases and on social media groups dedicated to unsolved crimes in northeast Oklahoma. Periodic reminders continue to circulate, asking anyone with information about Rentfrow’s activities in the days before April 13, 2018, or about suspicious activity near his home that evening, to come forward.

Miles Rentfrow’s murder is one of several unsolved homicides in Ottawa County that span decades. While some earlier cases from the 1980s saw quick arrests, others like this one have gone cold despite modern investigative tools. The quiet nature of the rural setting, the lack of immediate witnesses, and the challenges of small-caliber ballistics have all contributed to the difficulty in solving it.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and the OSBI continue to list the case as active. Tips can be submitted to the OSBI cold case unit. Even the smallest detail, a vehicle seen in the area, a conversation Rentfrow had, or a long-held suspicion from someone in the community could finally bring resolution.

For the family and friends of Miles Rentfrow, and for the residents of Peoria and surrounding northeast Oklahoma communities, the unanswered questions linger.

In a place where neighbors are often like family, the unsolved killing of one of their own leaves a lasting mark. Justice in this case remains elusive, but the investigation stays open i