Remains found in search for missing Oklahoma man and his mother who went looking for him – National & International News – THU 17Aug2023

Police find remains in search for missing OK man and his mother who went looking for him.

Pig kidney transplanted into braindead patient still functioning after a month.

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Remains found in search for missing OK man and his mother who went looking for him

There’s been a new development in a missing person’s case we’ve been following in Oklahoma since it first began in 2021. Police believe they have found the remains of Glenda “Cookie” Parton, 80, and her son Dwayne Selby, 59, both of Turley, OK, a Tulsa suburb. Selby and his friend Jack Grimes, 76, went missing in October 2021. When they didn’t return as expected from a horse show in Texas, Selby’s mother went looking for him before disappearing herself. Parton, Selby and Grimes owned horses together.

Hunters found Jack Grimes’ remains in a small wooded area in Turley in November 2021, about a month after he and Selby went missing. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office determined that Grimes was the victim of foul play. He’d been shot in the head and neck and his body had been dismembered. 

22 months later…

This week, after receiving a tip, TCSO discovered what they believe to be Selby and Parton’s remains in an area just a few hundred yards from where Grimes was found. 

Grimes’ remains were found in the area of the orange circle in November 2021. Selby and Parton’s remains were found approximately in the area of the yellow circle this week. It’s just over a half-mile apart.

Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado says the area where Selby and Parton’s remains were searched at the time when Grimes’ remains were found. But that initial search took place during the wintertime and some light digging was required to uncover Selby and Parton’s remains.

TCSO has previously said there is a “person of interest” in the case. They have not identified the person or their connection to the victims, nor have they speculated on a motive. Sheriff Regalado said investigators have had “very little cooperation, very few witnesses if any” in the case.

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Pig kidney transplanted into braindead patient still functioning after a month

Doctors at NYU Langone have announced “a landmark step forward” in transplant medicine. Back in July, doctors transplanted a pig kidney and thymus into a braindead patient. Over a month later, the kidney is showing no sign of rejection and is functioning normally. Signs of organ rejection usually appear about two weeks after a transplant.

Before the procedure, doctors used gene-editing technology to remove a substance known as alpha gal from the pig kidney. Alpha gal is a sugar molecule present in pig cells that can trigger allergies and organ rejection. The monitoring of the pig kidney’s function will continue for another month.

According to Dr. Robert Montgomery, head of transplants at NYU Langone, over 100,000 people are waiting for organ transplants. Only about one-third, he said, will live to receive one. Dr. Montgomery hailed the success of this transplant as a huge step towards an “unlimited, sustainable” supply of organs for human recipients.

The recipient of the pig kidney was 57-year-old Maurice Miller. Miller was declared braindead after he suffered a brain bleed in an operation to remove a glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. Miller’s sister said her brother “Mo” was “a kind, giving brother who loved life, and always lent a helping hand. It is only fitting that in his final act, he will be helping so many in the need through this innovative medical advancement”.

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