DEA Remembers Those We Lost During the Oklahoma City Bombing
DEA Headquarters
April 19, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the devastating bombing that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City. The Murrah Federal Building housed not only the DEA Oklahoma City District Office (OKCDO) but several other federal agencies as well as a childcare center. On that horrific day in 1995, 168 people were killed, including five DEA employees and 19 children. In addition, 680 others were injured, and countless lives were changed forever due to this senseless act of violence.
Within minutes of the blast, DEA Agents were assisting the emergency fire and rescue personnel with evacuating the building. They rushed into the severely damaged struc
ture without hesitation, putting their own lives and safety in danger to save others from perishing. In the aftermath of the bombing, DEA employees from throughout the region descended on Oklahoma City to facilitate the investigation, search for survivors, and recover the victims of this act of terrorism. DEA sent personnel from the Tulsa, McAlester, Dallas, Tyler, Lubbock, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, and San Antonio Offices to assist. By the first afternoon, DEA had a command post set up at the scene and DEA's Trauma Team was providing counseling for the survivors.
DEA Agents were there when the rescue workers found the bodies of our fallen five employees, and they were able to carry each one of them out of the rubble. The five DEA family members we lost that day were:
DEA Agents were there when the rescue workers found the bodies of our fallen five employees, and they were able to carry each one of them out of the rubble. The five DEA family members we lost that day were:
DEA Special Agent Kenneth G. McCullough had 13 years of federal service and was assigned to the Oklahoma City Resident Office since 1990. He was 36 years old. Special Agent McCullough received a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1980 and a master's degree in public administration from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri, in 1986. He previously served as a captain in the U.S. Army. His civilian government service began with the Defense Investigative Service in St. Louis, Missouri, in November 1987. Special Agent McCullough joined DEA on February 4, 1990, and, after completing Basic Agent Training, was assigned to the Oklahoma City Resident Office.
DynCorp Legal Technician Carrie A. Lenz was working under contract to the DEA. At the time of her death, she was 26 years old and pregnant with her unborn son, Michael James Lenz III. Lenz graduated from Moore West High School in Moore, Oklahoma, in 1986 and received a bachelor's degree in marketing from Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1990. She was working on a paralegal degree from Rose State College at the time of her death. Carrie had been employed by DynCorp since July 1991.
Carrol Fields was working as an office assistant for DEA. Fields spent her entire 29 years of federal service in the Oklahoma City offices of DEA and its predecessor agency, the Bureau of Narcotics, Department of the Treasury. She was 48 years old. Fields joined the Federal Bureau of Narcotics on August 30, 1965, after graduating from Shawnee High School in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on May 27, 1965. During her long and distinguished career, she received numerous performance awards, including the Administrator's Award for Distinguished Service in 1994.
Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Dispatcher Rona Chafey was working as part of a DEA State and Local Task Force. She was 35 years old. Chafey graduated from Bethany High School in Bethany, Oklahoma, and attended Oklahoma City Community College and Rose State College. She was employed by the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office since December 1992 and was a member of the DEA Task Force since January 1993.
DynCorp Legal Technician Shelly D. Bland was working under contract with DEA. She was 25 years old. Bland was a 1987 graduate of Tuttle High School in Tuttle, Oklahoma, and attended the University of Central Oklahoma from 1988 to 1989. She was employed by DynCorp since April 1994.
This tragic and violent event was one of the deadliest acts of terror in U.S. history. It ultimately impacted countless Americans, law enforcement members, and various communities around the world.