Former Adair County Resident Arrested For 1999 Murder In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Timothy Jacob Hollan, age 73, of Miller, Missouri, was arrested in Kansas City, Kansas, yesterday on a federal arrest warrant. The warrant arose from a grand jury indictment charging Hollan with one Count of Murder in Indian Country and one count of Causing the Death of Another Person in the Course of a Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). Both charges are punishable by death or a term of up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Indictment alleges that on a date uncertain to the grand jury, in or about September 1999, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian country, Hollan, a non-Indian, willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation and malice aforethought, unlawfully killed the victim, an Indian.

The Indictment further alleges that on that date, Hollan did knowingly use, carry, brandish, and discharge a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that is Murder in Indian Country, and in the course of this violation caused the death of the victim through the use of a firearm.

The crimes allegedly occurred in Adair County within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from investigations by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, the Adair County Sheriff's Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In November 2023, deputies recovered the victim's body from an abandoned well in rural Adair County. DNA analysis confirmed the victim's identity earlier this year.

"The Missing and Murdered Unit was established by President Trump during his first term to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons, ensuring that unresolved cases receive renewed attention and investigative resources," said Billy Kirkland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. "This joint investigation exemplifies the BIA Missing and Murdered Unit's efforts to bring justice, accountability, and closure to families impacted by violence in Indian Country. By working closely with tribal communities, federal law enforcement, and local partners, we are honoring victims and strengthening public safety."

A grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury Indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. All defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.