Dr. Tyler Tait (pictured) was arrested on Monday in Lake Village, Arkansas in connection to the death of his colleague Moria Kinsey, 37, a married mother who worked as an emergency room nurse practitioner
An Oklahoma doctor with a history of domestic violence allegations has been charged with murder after he allegedly killed a married nurse while the pair were on a road trip.
Dr. Tyler Tait, 34, was arrested on Monday in Lake Village, Arkansas in connection to the death of Moria Kinsey, 37, a married mother of one who worked as an emergency room nurse practitioner.
Kinsey's body was found Monday lying besides a parked vehicle on U.S. Highway 65, approximately two miles North of Lake Village, after Chicot County sheriff's deputies received reports of a woman in need of medical assistance.
According to Arkansas Department of Public Safety, she was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead. The coroner is investigating cause of death, and no further information has been shared as to how exactly Kinsey died.
Initial investigation revealed that Tait, 34, - who was found near the vehicle - and Kinsey had travelled in from Mississippi. The pair had endured some sort of physical altercation, but no more details of the fight has been shared.
The doctor, an employee with Cherokee Nation Health Services (CNHS), was taken into custody and held at Chicot County Jail on a first-degree murder charge.
A family friend of Kinsey's said that she had once worked with Tait at the CNHS. Kinsey is still listed as an employee of the system, although it is unclear if she was working directly with Tait at the time of her killing.
The nature of their relationship has also not been disclosed, with Kinsey described as a 'wonderful wife and mom' to a 13 year-old son by her friend Sandy Mayfield.
Court documents obtained by the Tahlequah Daily Press revealed that Tait had a history of domestic violence accusations.
A woman identified as Shelby Nicole Burris filed a protective order against the doctor in 2017. It was ultimately dismissed after Tait allegedly violated the order.
Burris filed another order against Tait in 2020, which is up for review in June 2022.
Moria Kinsey's body was found Monday lying besides a parked vehicle on U.S. Highway 65, approximately two miles North of Lake Village, after Chicot County sheriff's deputies received reports of a woman in need of medical assistance
Tait is pictured in the white t-shirt working on a patient
This map shows where Kinsey's body was found, close to Lake Village in south east Arkansas
Tait was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in May 2017. The case was dismissed without fine or cost.
In January 2021, he was charged with domestic abuse, assault and battery. However, like his previous cases, the charges were dismissed 'for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.'
Oklahoma-based journalist Lori Fullbright claims that one of Tait's misdemeanor domestic assault cases was dismissed in April 'because of McGirt,' referring to the 2020 landmark Supreme Court case ruling that a large portion of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation.
The dismissal documents reportedly state that Tait, as well as the alleged victim, 'has some degree of Indian blood and is recognized as an Indian by a tribe or federal government.' The McGirt ruling means that the State of Oklahoma has no jurisdiction over crimes which happen on tribal land where the defendant or victim was a member of a tribe.
It is unclear if the case in question has been re-filed in a tribal court.
Tait (pictured) has a history of domestic violence accusations, however all previous charges were dropped due to jurisdiction issues outlined by the McGirt ruling
Meanwhile, in wake of the murder charge, Tait has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, the Cherokee Nation Communications team confirmed to the Tahlequah Daily Press.
A source familiar the the case says Tait's medical license will likely be stripped.
Kinsey was also employed with CNHS.
David Walkingstick, one of Kinsey's colleagues at W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Okla., posted a tribute to her on Facebook saying she was 'full of life, energy, and cared about our people'.
'I'm saddened to hear of the passing of one of our own nurse practitioners that worked in the ER at W.W. Hastings Hospital,' he wrote. 'Some may remember her from AutoZone working her way up into the medical field. Please keep her son, husband, family, and friends in your prayers.'
A family friend told DailyMail.com 'the world is a little dimmer' now that Kinsey is gone.
'She was very genuine. Always positive and upbeat,' Sandy Mayfield said.
'She always wanted to help others, whether it be in auto parts where she started or nursing, which became her passion.'
Mayfield also shared that Kinsey was a 'wonderful wife and mom,' noting that her 13-year-old son was the 'light of her life'.
'She loved him and life with a passion,' she stated.
The community is invited to honor her at a candlelight vigil at Norris Park in Tahlequah on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 8.30pm.
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