Oklahoma
Latest Updates on Amber Portwood’s Missing Fiancé Gary Wayt: Sighting in Oklahoma, Catelynn Lowell Weighs in On MTV Wanting to Film About It For ‘Teen Mom’ & More
The saga of Amber Portwood‘s missing fiancé continues, as it appears that he is alive and on the move.
Gary Wayt— who recently proposed to the Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star — has been listed as a missing person in North Carolina since Monday. As The Ashley previously reported, Gary (not to be confused with Amber’s baby daddy Gary Shirley) was in North Carolina with Amber to attend the wedding of Amber’s brother Shawn last Saturday. After Amber and Gary got into some sort of disagreement on Sunday, Gary took off in his car–without his cell phone— and hadn’t been seen since. Amber has begged fans to pray for her fiancé, whom she claims she has a “beautiful relationship” with. She also denied having any part in Gary’s disappearance.
On Thursday, however, news broke that Gary was spotted alive in Oklahoma— 900+ miles away from Bryson City, North Carolina, where he was last seen. The Sun broke the news of the Gary sighting, stating that Amber’s betrothed was seen on-camera at an Oklahoma Verizon phone store.
Amber’s manager confirmed to The Ashley on Thursday that police have been able to verify that the man on the Verizon store video was, indeed, Gary.
Amber’s manager also confirmed, though, that Gary has not contacted Amber or his loved ones. His reason for driving all the way to Oklahoma is unknown at this time.
“He might not even know he’s a missing person at this point since he hasn’t had his phone and only took his wallet and the car,” a source told The Sun.
Various news outlets have reported on Gary’s disappearance since he was reported missing earlier this week.
Amber, who went Live on YouTube with Elle Bee this week to talk about Gary’s disappearance, has vowed to stay in North Carolina until Gary was located. In fact, her ‘Teen Mom’ co-star Catelynn Lowell confirmed on Wednesday that Maci Bookout was heading to North Carolina to be with Amber in her time of need.
Catelynn also defended Amber against people online who were speculating that Amber was responsible for Gary’s disappearance and insinuating that Amber hurt him.
“I’ve known Amber for 15 years, ok?” she said during a Live stream with TikTok user @crime.n.missing. “She might fly off the handle sometimes but she’s not going to f**king kill somebody. Come on now. If you guys think that about her, you’re ridiculous…”
Catelynn also denied that she is an “enabler” for Amber.
“I tell her how it is,” Cate insisted. “Me, her and Maci, we’ve known each other for so long that we can tell each other, like, ‘Hey dude, that was f**ked up’ or ‘You shouldn’t have done that’ or whatever. And we listen to each other. Of course, MTV is only going to put on [the show] what they want to put on there.”
Catelynn then revealed that MTV is actually chomping at the bit to film about Amber’s missing fiancé.
“They’re asking me to film myself talking about this whole situation and I’m like, ‘No, I’m not. I’m not exploiting the situation and what Amber’s going through.’ I’m not doing all of that,” Catelynn said. ” I’m going to help her and be a friend.”
After going Live on Wednesday, Catelynn posted on Instagram Stories to clarify that she wasn’t trying to bash MTV during her Live.
“I did a live on TikTok earlier today talking about the situation with Amber’s fiancé and MTV asking me to talk about it,” Catelynn wrote. “I DID NOT mean anything bad about what I said! Actually @MTV has helped a ton with trying to help us and help the situation. So please don’t get that part twisted. We are all just wanting to find Gary alive and safe!”
Catelynn went on to state that Gary and Amber have been engaged longer than the public was led to believe, and that she and Maci were even present when Gary popped the question.
As of press time, Gary is still listed as a missing person by the Bryson City Police Department. Police are asking the public to contact them with any information regarding Gary’s location.

UPDATE! On Thursday night, TMZ provided more information about the sighting of Gary in Oklahoma. According to Bryson City PD Asst. Chief Wayne Dover, Gary was seen Tuesday morning in Weatherford— a town about an hour from Oklahoma City. Chief Dover stated that witnesses who identified Gary said he “did not seem in distress and had a calm and nonchalant demeanor.”
It is still unknown why Gary— who hails from Indiana— drove to Weatherford, Oklahoma, which is a nearly 12-hour drive from Indianapolis. It’s also unknown if Gary is still in Oklahoma or was just stopping there on his journey.
Chief Dover stated that Gary is still considered a missing person; however, cops are not suspecting foul play.
RELATED STORY: Amber Portwood Asks Fans to Pray For Her Missing Fiancé Gary Wayt & Insists She “Did Not Hurt Him”; Amber’s Ex-Fiance Matt Baier Weighs In
(Photos: Bryson City PD; MTV; Facebook)
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma WWII veteran, POW headed home for burial after 82 years
Catch up on Oklahoma’s top headlines of the week for Dec. 12, 2025
Here are Oklahoma’s top headlines of the week for Dec. 12, 2025
A Pawnee native who died in a Japanese prison during World War II is headed back to Oklahoma after officials identified his body 82 years later.
James M. Walker was an infantry corporal stationed on the Philippine Islands when Japan invaded in December 1941. U.S. forces battled the Japanese in intense fighting for months, but ultimately surrendered to the invaders in April 1942.
After being taken prisoner, Walker and thousands of other prisoners of war were forced to travel 65 miles to a prison camp on the notorious Bataan Death March. More than 2,500 POWs are reported to have died at the camp.
Prison camp records showed he died on Jan. 1, 1943 at the age of 46, but he was buried in a common grave with other deceased prisoners. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service exhumed the bodies, collected samples for identification analysis and reburied the remains in a memorial cemetery in Manila.
To identify Walker’s remains, scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.
Although interred as an “unknown” for decades, Walker’s grave was meticulously cared for by the American Battle Monuments Commission. His name is listed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate his remains have been identified.
Upon his return to the United States, Walker will be buried in Maramec, Oklahoma in January 2026.
Oklahoma
Suspect in custody after deadly shooting in Oklahoma City following heated argument
OKLAHOMA CITY, (KOKH) — Oklahoma City police responded to a fatal shooting in the 2600 block of N. Kelly Friday evening.
According to OKCPD, the shooting occurred at around 6:20 p.m.
When officers arrived, they located one adult male with gunshot wounds at the scene. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died during surgery.
Police believe the shooting was a result of a verbal argument that escalated into a fistfight and then a shooting.
The suspect has been taken into custody and transported to police headquarters for questioning.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3)
Oklahoma City; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The Sooners are 6-3 in non-conference play. Oklahoma is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Cowboys are 9-0 in non-conference play. Oklahoma State ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 16.9 assists per game led by Jaylen Curry averaging 5.1.
Oklahoma averages 84.7 points, 8.3 more per game than the 76.4 Oklahoma State gives up. Oklahoma State scores 16.3 more points per game (91.3) than Oklahoma gives up to opponents (75.0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Nijel Pack is scoring 17.2 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Sooners. Tae Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 53.3%.
Vyctorius Miller is averaging 15.9 points for the Cowboys. Parsa Fallah is averaging 14.6 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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