Two sets of human remains discovered by authorities in Love County, Oklahoma were identified as those of a young man and woman who disappeared in 2013, officials said.
Molly Miller and Colt Haynes were last seen on July 7, 2013, according to a missing poster from the Chickasaw Ligthorse Police Department. Miller was 17 and Haynes was 21. They were passengers in a vehicle driven by James Con Nipp, according to a missing poster for Haynes. The car became involved in a police chase in Carter County, Oklahoma, and authorities lost the vehicle in Love County. CBS affiliate KXII reported that the vehicle crashed and Con Nipp walked away, while Haynes and Miller stayed behind.
The next day, Haynes and Miller called friends asking for water and a ride, saying they were lost near a local road, according to Haynes’ missing poster. Two weeks later, the vehicle was found abandoned in the woods. There was no sign of Haynes or Miller.
Their bodies were discovered on February 18, 2026, according to the Chickasaw Lighthouse Police Department, as the department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Missing and Murdered Unit searched over 1,000 acres for information about the missing pair. The area had not previously been searched, according to a news release from the bureau. It was identified as a search site “after new information emerged and access to the land was obtained,” the bureau said. KXII reported that the area has rough terrain, and dearchers examined the area on foot.
The remains of Miller, who was a Chickasaw Nation member, were identified by the medical examiner on March 31, the Bureau of Indian Affairs said. The date of Haynes’ identification was not specified. Both families were notified.
Authorities did not say how Miller and Haynes died. Police said the investigation “into the circumstances surrounding Molly and Colt’s deaths remains active and ongoing.” The Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit said that it will “continue to pursue every lead” in the case. The local district attorney said it will present the case to a multi-county grand jury for formal charges once the investigation is concluded.
Misty Miller Howell, Miller’s older cousin, told KXII that the discovery has brought some closure to the family.
“Molly would have never been found if it wasn’t for” continued official efforts, Miller Howell said. She and her family still have questions about how and why Miller and Haynes died. She believes the couple were subject to foul play.
“Right now we’re a little angry, you know, and we can’t help from not being angry,” Miller Howell said. “The case is moving forward so that pretty much told us right then that there was foul play involved. So we’re ready. We’re ready for this multi-county grand jury. I think once we get justice then we’ll get peace.”
