He Shot Up His Own Truck Before Shooting Himself? GOP Candidate’s Wife Disputes Suicide Ruling – ‘Time to Call Dateline’

The daughter and former wife of a Republican state Senate candidate found dead in April in an Oklahoma wildlife refuge are pushing back against a ruling of suicide in his death.

Barry Christian died by suicide, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to KOCO-TV.

Christian, 54, died from a gunshot wound to the head. He was found on April 30 in a remote area two days after he was reported missing. Searchers were directed to that area after a hunter said he had seen a vehicle accident in the area.

Farrah Christian posted on Facebook that she was not letting the ruling in her ex-husband’s death stand without a fight.

BREAKING: Oklahoma State Senate candidate Barry Christian (R) found dead in his car after being reported missing pic.twitter.com/Ps6JEbD2O6

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 30, 2026

“I am very emotional writing this, but I’m done being quiet. I’m extremely angry. The OSBI has botched this investigation,” she wrote, referring to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

“Barry was right handed. He ‘allegedly’ shot himself with his left hand,” she posted.

“His truck also had several bullet holes on the outside of it. They think he shot his truck before turning the gun on himself,” she wrote.

“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?” she posted.

“The OSBI even TOLD US they know it was staged. Let’s face it. Oklahoma politics and law enforcement are as crooked as a $3 bill. Money talks. They’ve obviously been paid off. Time to call Dateline. Our kids and grandkids deserve better,” she wrote.

Neleh Christian also posted on Facebook that she rejects the official findings in her father’s death.

“MY FATHER, BARRY CHRISTIAN, DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE,” she wrote, adding that the OSBI “is still investigating his death as a homicide.”

“Read that again. The Medical Examiner has publicly labeled my father’s death a suicide while the state’s criminal investigative agency is still investigating whether he was killed by someone else,” she wrote.

Neleh Christian said there were “serious inconsistencies surrounding my father’s death that deserve further scrutiny.”

“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,” she wrote, calling for details of the investigation to be made public.

“Our family was also told during this investigation that OSBI believed the scene may have been staged,” she wrote. “If investigators believed they were looking at a potentially staged death scene, then the public deserves an explanation for how another state agency ultimately reached a definitive conclusion of suicide.”

“I am not asking anyone to take my word for what happened to my father. I am asking for the evidence to withstand scrutiny. Show us how this conclusion was reached,” she added.

“This is not about politics. This is not about creating a conspiracy. This is about my dad. Barry was a father. A grandfather. A brother. A best friend. He was a human being whose life and death deserve to be treated with extraordinary care. The word suicide carries enormous weight.”

“Once the government releases that word, news organizations repeat it. Search engines preserve it. The public assumes the question has been answered. For our family, it has not been answered,” she wrote.

“If the evidence supporting this determination cannot withstand an independent forensic review, then that determination needs to be reconsidered. I want an independent, qualified forensic expert with specific experience distinguishing suicide from homicide in firearm deaths to review the evidence.”

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.