Jailed man not connected with Weleetka killings
From staff and wire reports
Published: June 17, 2008
WELEETKA — A mentally ill man who told state troopers he was involved in the recent slayings of two young girls near Weleetka was found to have nothing to do with the crime, authorities said Tuesday.
The man, who was armed with a bolt-action rifle, was arrested Tuesday morning in Weleetka following an apparent domestic dispute, said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. She could not offer further details on the incident.
The man threatened troopers that he was involved in the shooting deaths of 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker, whose bodies were discovered June 8 along a back country road.
Trooper Betsy Randolph said she received a message at 10:15 a.m. about a possible hostage situation at Weleetka School. Initial reports said troopers suspected the man involved might have been a man sought for questioning in connection with the slayings.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said investigators were able to determine through extensive questioning that the man was mentally ill and the arrest was unrelated to the killings.
"We have got a guy in custody, but it has nothing to do with the case," said Rex Hefner, Okfuskee County jail administrator.
Since Friday, the day when the girls' funerals were held, authorities have been searching for a person of interest they want to interview about the slayings.
The man in a sketch released by the OSBI is described as an American Indian, about 6 feet tall, with black hair and a pony tail stretching to the small of his back. He was driving a white Ford or Chevrolet single cab pickup with chrome striping and an Oklahoma license tag.
Investigators say the man was seen standing near the pickup around the time and place the girls were shot.
Today, Jessica Brown said investigators were pursuing up to 40 tips related to the sketch that had been called in from across the country.
This past weekend, authorities set up roadblocks around the rural area to talk to the locals and possibly cultivate leads. On Monday, Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate said "nothing solid" came of it.
Authorities still lack an explanation for why the girls were murdered, and theories have included a random thrill killing, attempted abduction or that the girls stumbled upon something, perhaps a drug deal, and paid for it with their lives.
The OSBI has said it is suspected that a local person was involved because the killings occurred in such an isolated area.
"We have no idea where (the killer) is," Jessica Brown said. "He could be from the area and left, or he has family or friends in the area."
More than $30,000 in reward money is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Brown said agents are still seeking the person on interest described in an artist's sketch released Friday.
Officials with the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Department said a man was in custody and being questioned in connection with the domestic dispute, not the deaths of Taylor and Skyla.
Anyone with information is asked to call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.
