Kirk Plepla, 53, was found dead at a home in the 200 block of South Earl Street in Poteau, Oklahoma, during the early morning hours of August 23, 2026. Officers responding to a welfare check at about 12:42 a.m. entered the residence and discovered Plepla had suffered an apparent gunshot wound. The Poteau Police Department requested help from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; OSBI agents and Poteau detectives processed the scene with assistance from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Investigators say the evidence gathered in the initial probe led them to believe Plepla’s wife, Mollie Plepla (Mollie Marie Haywood/Plepla in records), was responsible for the shooting. She was taken into custody and booked into the LeFlore County Jail on a complaint of first-degree murder. The couple had married in LeFlore County in 2023, and a protective order involving the two was granted in the county during the week of June 8–12, 2026; reports do not detail the protective-order allegations or connect it to the shooting.

Authorities have not released a detailed timeline of what happened inside the home before the shooting, whether a firearm was recovered, who requested the welfare check, or whether others were present. The investigation remained active and prosecutors had not announced a formal charging decision beyond the murder complaint on which Mollie Plepla was booked. If anyone knew Kirk or has information about the events that night, please share what can help the investigation.