Aubrey McClendon died in fiery crash in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY _ State officials say investigations into the death of energy magnate Aubrey McClendon in a fiery single-car crash in Oklahoma City could take months to complete.
Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Ashley Peters says a probe of Wednesday’s accident likely will take up to two weeks, while the state medical examiner’s office says an autopsy investigation could take as long as three months.
Police say McClendon’s Chevrolet Tahoe slammed into a concrete embankment and burst into flames, killing the 56-year-old energy company CEO.
Several passing motorists called 911 shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday to report a vehicle on fire at an underpass beneath Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma City.
McClendon had been indicted just hours earlier by a federal grand jury on charges of gas-lease bid rigging.
Aubry McClendon co-founded Chesapeake Energy and served as its CEO before stepping down in 2013 amid philosophical differences with a new board of directors. He then founded American Energy Partners, where he was chairman and CEO.
Fellow energy magnate and Oklahoma native T. Boone Pickens described McClendon as a “major player in leading the stunning energy renaissance in America.”
“He was charismatic and a true American entrepreneur,” Pickens said in a statement. “No individual is without flaws, but his impact on American energy will be long-lasting.”
McClendon is survived by his wife, Katie, and three children.
The Canadian Press