Cause of death revealed for Republican found bloodied in his car — but his family isn't buying it

The corpse of a Republican state Senate candidate was found inside his allegedly bullet-riddled truck in Western Oklahoma on April 30.

The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner made a determination on Tuesday regarding the manner of death for 54-year-old Barry Christian — but some of his family members are convinced that there's more to the story.

'There are serious inconsistencies surrounding my father’s death that deserve further scrutiny.'

Christian was a MAGA Republican vying for the District 38 Senate seat in the Sooner State. An archived version of his now-deleted campaign website shows that he supported President Donald Trump and sought to "fight for the traditional conservative values that make America great."

The Tulsa-born Republican, who previously worked for decades in the oilfield, is survived by his parents, a sister, three daughters, a son, and five grandchildren.

After failing to appear for a scheduled meeting, Christian was reported missing on April 29. The next morning, a hunter spotted the Republican's truck in a ravine off Highway 30 near Oklahoma's Sandy Sanders Wildlife Refuge and alerted the Beckham County Sheriff's Office. Deputies found Christian's lifeless body inside the vehicle.

The medical examiner's office concluded that Christian's probable cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and determined that it was a suicide, reported KOCO-TV.

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Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation

The agency's full autopsy report will be released later this month.

Greg Mashburn, director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, noted on Wednesday that the agency is wrapping up its probe into Christian's demise and will present its findings first to the victim's family and then to Beckham County District Attorney Angela Marsee, reported NonDoc.

"One of the last kind of things we were looking at, we were waiting on, was the medical examiner’s report," Mashburn said after an agency meeting on Wednesday. "Obviously that’s a very important piece of evidence that would be part of the end story."

Mashburn, no doubt aware of the family's skepticism about the suicide determination, added, "We will sit down and visit with the family. There will be some questions we will be able to answer for them, there will be some questions we will never be able to answer for them."

Farrah Christian, described by NonDoc as the victim's former wife, claimed in a Facebook post that the "OSBI has botched this investigation."

"Barry was right handed. He 'allegedly' shot himself with his left hand," she wrote. "His truck also had several bullet holes on the outside of it. They think he shot his truck before turning the gun on himself. Funny thing is, they did not test his right hand or sleeve for gunshot residue, only the left. So why would he shoot up his truck with his left hand? The OSBI even TOLD US they know it was staged."

"Oklahoma politics and law enforcement are as crooked as a $3 bill. Money talks. They’ve obviously been paid off," added Farrah Christian.

In response to a request for comment, the OSBI told Blaze News: "With the Medical Examiner’s report complete, our next step is to provide our full investigation to the DA’s office for review. We have no additional information at this time."

One of the victim's daughters, Neleh Christian, similarly had trouble accepting the suicide determination.

"There are serious inconsistencies surrounding my father’s death that deserve further scrutiny," she wrote. "We have been told there were multiple bullet holes involving the exterior of his truck, with the suggested explanation that Barry may have fired those shots before turning the gun on himself. If that is the state’s conclusion, then I want to see the forensic evidence supporting it."

Mashburn noted that the OSBI "ran every possible scenario that came up."

Beckham County District Attorney Marsee told NonDoc that she had seen the family members' comments on Facebook, and noted, "I think these are really difficult and complicated issues."

"I feel very compassionate toward the family about what they’re going through," added Marsee.

Despite his death, Christian's name remained on the Republican primary ballot for the June 16 election. The Oklahoman reported that he received over 500 votes.

The winner of the state Senate seat, Rick Vernon, said in a May 1 post on Facebook, "Barry loved Oklahoma and was willing to step forward in service to our state and that deserves respect, regardless of politics. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time."

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