Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Investigation: No suspects, officials say
By Johnny Johnson
|
Published: June 11, 2008
Oklahoman
WELEETKA — Shortly after two girls were found brutally murdered along a dirt road near this small town Sunday afternoon, the rumors around Okfuskee County started to spread like wildfire:
Multimedia
More Info
In this undated photo, Taylor Paschal-Placker, left, is pictured with her grandparents, Peter Placker, center, and Vickey Placker.
How to help
•A fund has been set up to help pay for the funeral expenses for both girls. Donations may be sent to: Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.
For more information call (405) 786-2216.
Related content
NewsOK Related Articles
-
Girls' deaths draw a torrent of sympathy
06/11/2008 The Mitchell family of North Little Rock, Ark., likely never met Taylor Paschal-Placker. But news of her death and that of a young friend touched them...
-
Around Weleetka, shock but no answers
06/11/2008 WELEETKA — "This is the mother of all wrongness.” Tension far exceeded the thick June humidity as Graham School Superintendent Dusty Chancey cut to the...
-
Clues sought in slaying of girls in Weleetka
06/10/2008 WELEETKA — The two young girls found dead in a ditch along a dirt road in Okfuskee County had been shot multiple times in the head and the chest,...
-
Seeking answers in Weleetka deaths
06/10/2008 Weleetka girls Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were best friends. The first, described by a family member as a big-hearted girl...
-
Lawmen uncover clues in girls' killings
THE INVESTIGATION: What happened?
06/10/2008 WELEETKA — The dirt road near Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker's house was a familiar place to the 13-year-old girl and her best friend, Skyla Jade Whitaker,...
-
THE COMMUNITY: Security shattered
06/10/2008 WELEETKA — Like many of the 1,000 or so residents of this Okfuskee County town, Mac Riddle has lived in Weleetka his whole life and never felt the need to...
-
THE POLICE: Sheriff says case is ‘difficult'
06/10/2008 WELEETKA — Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate can't imagine a more gruesome or senseless crime than the one his office started investigating Sunday....
-
Teen given two life sentences
01/19/2006 A Henryetta teenager who killed his former girlfriend and her unborn child was sentenced to two life sentences, to run concurrently, Okmulgee County court...
•"They caught the guy who did it.”
• "They have three guys in custody.”
• "He confessed, and said he didn't have a motive.”
It was the rampant rumors and "misinformation” surrounding the fatal shootings of Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, that led to a time-to-set-the-record-straight news conference Tuesday in front of the Okfuskee County Courthouse in Okemah.
Part of the confusion apparently came from remarks Sheriff Jack Choate made during media interviews. Choate, who has been in office two years, said Monday that his office had "suspects” in the case. He later said his office had identified "persons of interest.”
So when word got out that Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation officials were calling a news conference, many residents lined up behind the news cameras to hear for themselves whether investigators had any idea who shot the girls, whether that person was still out there, and whether they should be worried for their own children's safety.
They didn't find any comfort.
"We have no solid suspect information,” OSBI agent Ben Rosser said at the afternoon briefing. "We have no person of interest. We have nobody we can put a finger on. We've received phone calls and we're looking into those leads.”
Rosser told the crowd he thinks the shooter or shooters were locals, based on the secluded location several miles from Interstate 40 and three miles from the nearest highway.
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
