Report: Dead Texas man dumped in Oklahoma had been strangled

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Investigators say a Texas man was strangled before he was buried in Oklahoma alongside the body of a woman whose MMA fighter ex-boyfriend is suspected in the deaths.

Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released an autopsy report Wednesday saying 32-year-old Michael Swearingin’s death was a homicide.

Swearingin was found dead Jan. 15 in a shallow grave beside the body of 28-year-old Jenna Scott in Clearview, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City. The Temple, Texas residents were reported missing Jan. 4.

The report says Swearingin likely died from asphyxiation due to strangulation. Scott’s autopsy hasn’t been made public.

Court records show Scott’s ex-boyfriend, 44-year-old Cedric Marks, is being held on murder charges. Marks prompted a manhunt Feb. 3 when he escaped from a private prison van. He was recaptured nine hours later.