WILBURTON, OK – The family of Linda Barnes is still reeling from the immense loss after the 66-year-old church leader was found dead outside her Wilburton home earlier this year. For her daughter, Melissa Junell, the tragedy is compounded by another heartbreak—the person responsible was her own sister.
Federal prosecutors say Tracy Mannon, Barnes’s daughter, admitted to killing her mother and entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder. As the case moves to sentencing, Junell is urging the court to impose the harshest penalty possible, hoping it will bring some measure of justice to their family and community.
Barnes was discovered fatally stabbed outside her home in February 2024. Investigators responding to the scene found Mannon inside doing dishes, where she admitted to striking her mother with a vacuum cleaner, then stabbing her multiple times. According to authorities, Mannon expressed no remorse for the crime during questioning.
For Junell and her family, the shock and grief have been nearly unbearable. She recalls the fateful day she was told her mother was gone—information delivered with a stark finality that changed her world forever. “My first thought was, ‘where’s Tracy?’” she remembers.
Her mother, Junell, says, was a pillar of the community—a longtime church leader with a joyful spirit who loved her grandchildren. Alongside her husband, Barnes pastored a local church for three decades, offering guidance and help to neighbors throughout Wilburton. Those who knew her remember her laughter, kindness, and deep faith.
In a cruel twist, Junell says Barnes always stood by Mannon, even during her previous troubles with the law. From visiting regularly to making sure Mannon had money and necessities while incarcerated, Barnes provided unwavering support. “My mom did everything she could for Tracy,” Junell said, describing countless hours on the road for prison visits.
But past troubles had surfaced before. In 2023, Mannon was accused in Muskogee County of attempting to strangle her own daughter. The case was dropped, however, due to jurisdictional issues after a Supreme Court decision altered the process for prosecuting crimes involving Native Americans on tribal lands. As a Cherokee Nation member, Mannon’s most serious charges have moved through the federal courts rather than state courts.
Junell says her sister misled the family about that earlier case, claiming it was dismissed because of a lack of evidence. It wasn’t until later, Junell says, that the family learned the dismissal stemmed from legal confusion over which jurisdiction should handle the prosecution, not because the claims lacked merit. Mannon subsequently moved back in with Barnes, a decision that would ultimately prove fatal.
Now, as sentencing approaches, Junell is preparing to deliver a victim impact statement in court. She wants the judge to understand the depth of their family’s pain and how profoundly the community has been shaken. “I want the judge to know who my mom was. This loss isn’t just ours—it’s felt by so many others she loved and helped,” Junell said.
Through the pain, Junell hopes sharing their story might help prevent a similar tragedy elsewhere. She says her mother would have wanted to spare others this kind of loss, so that no other family must endure the unthinkable falling through the cracks.
Mannon’s sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.