‘At last, he's home'
After 11 years of waiting, family says goodbye to son
After 11 years of waiting, family says goodbye to son

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By Ron Jackson
Published: October 3, 2007

HOBART — Patty Burroughs finally got to say goodbye to her deceased son, Steven, during a memorial service Tuesday in Hobart. The memorial ended an agonizing 11-year wait.

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"This means a lot,” Patty Burroughs said as she patted tears from her cheeks. "This should have happened a long time ago.”

Steven Royce Burroughs, 18, disappeared from the family's small farmhouse outside Roosevelt on March 17, 1996, prompting the family to file a missing-person report.

In time, the Kiowa County sheriff's office picked up the case before handing it off to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Patty Burroughs said a skull and two leg bones were discovered protruding from a shallow pond a quarter-mile from the family's home in late 2003. The remains were delivered to the state medical examiner's office in February 2004. That office sent samples to the University of North Texas for mitochondrial DNA testing, OSBI spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.

Two years passed before the results of the DNA test were released, confirming the remains were those of Steven Burroughs. No cause of death could ever be determined.

Found but still not solved
Today, the case remains an open investigation.

"I have no doubt he was murdered,” Patty Burroughs said. "We just haven't received much help. We even hired a private investigator, and it was only because of him we were able to get Steven's remains released back to us last week.”

A small gathering of close friends and family attended the memorial service at the Hobart United Methodist Church to pay tribute to Steven Burroughs, who planned to attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 1996. The Rev. Dennis Yates of Roosevelt presided over the service, reading a passage from the prophet Isaiah and playing "Amazing Grace” on his guitar.

"At last, he's home,” said Jessica Schroeder, who was 11 at the time of her brother's disappearance. Schroeder, now 22, recently became a mother with the birth of a girl.

"Now,” Schroeder added, "we won't have to wonder where he is any more.”

Contributing: Staff Writers Ken Raymond and Michael Kimball


 

Related Topics: Health and Fitness, Medicine, Health Care Issues, Genetic Testing

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This really hit home for me. I guess because I remember this guy going missing and we're the same age. Also because he was going to go to OU and so was I. My heart goes out to this family. I'm just glad you finally could say goodbye.
Kelli, Del City - Oct 3, 2007 at 12:15 pm
This story touched my heart in many ways. It brought tears to my eyes. If you have a child, you know what I mean by that. That has got to be the worst nightmare any parent could ever face in this cold heartless world. Why is the next reason she will have to face all over again. Why would anyone want to murder a child so young an ready to become something out in this world. I fear that alot with my children going to college everyday. There are alot of gutless people in this world that just don't care about human life. They have no heart an hurting someone never crosses their minds. I wish the best for this family an I am so sorry it had to turn out this way. I don't understand why it took the OSBI an county sheriff department so long to search that pond being only a quarter of a mile away. I thought they had that much sense to do that nowadays. I thought you searched all ponds around close to the home. What kind of damn idiots we have for legal help these days. Just wasn't right to do this family that way.. Let's hope someday they have to endure such pain this family has for ten years an see what they have to say about it. Bless you all. He was in Heaven when he died though. Think of it that way. God was watching over him an he is in alot better place than we are. Look who is watching over us.
glenda, oklahoma city - Oct 3, 2007 at 9:10 am

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