Taylor Placker & Skyla Whitaker Murder THREAD #1

[awakening2lite]

2 Girls Found Dead in a Ditch Along Rural Oklahoma Road

Monday, June 09, 2008

http://www.foxnews.com/images/378322/4_61_placker_taylor.jpg
Taylor Placker 2006

Oklahoma police are searching for a motive in the double slayings of two young girls found dead Sunday night in a ditch along a rural road.

The girls, friends aged 13 and 11, were discovered by a relative after they failed to return from an afternoon walk on the county road south of Interstate 40 in Okfuskee County near Weleetka, Okla.

The deaths of the girls, whose names have not been released by the medical examiner, were labeled "double homicide" by investigators, according to News9.com in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoman identified the elder girl as Taylor Placker and said the girls were found clothed in T-shirts and shorts with multiple gunshot wounds. Taylor's father discovered the bodies.

KOCO-TV identified the 11-year-old as Skyla Whitaker.

Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate told the paper that they have a suspect in the case, but no motive.

"They were little girls," Choate told the paper. "What possible motive could there be? You have to wonder, did they see something they were not supposed to? Were they at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence said they combed the area through the night.

"This is a case that involves two innocent girls that were walking out on their own," Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence said. "Some evidence has been found at the scene which may be useful to us. We have spent a lot of time going down this road looking for evidence."

Florence did not immediately return a call for comment from FOXNews.com.

A spokesman at the sheriff's department told FOXNews.com that investigators were still at the scene. Stormy weather had blown through the area late Sunday and early Monday.

The girls were found in an isolated pasture area about one-quarter of a mile from one of the girls' homes. Weleetka is a community of approximately 950 people about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Taylor attended Graham Public School in Weleetka, where in 2006 she was a fifth grade queen candidate in the Elementary Royalty Coronation, according to the school's Web site.

"Taylor was the most lively, beautiful little girl you ever met," her uncle Joe Mosher told the Oklahoman. "She was very intelligent and had good grades. She didn't have an enemy in this world. People who didn't even know her loved her."

source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364582,00.html

[emmeblu]

Tragic! Multiple gunshot wounds? Why would anyone need to "over kill" on two girls this young? Makes me wonder if the shooter was another young person. Thinking out loud here.. multiple gunshot wounds might also indicate the shooter was someone close to at least one of these girls.

Sad. I am not going to say girls this age should not be out in a rural area walking by themselves. I know some communities are safe or so you think.
Hope the perpetrator is caught really soon.

:1222423::1222423:

[animallady]

How Horrific!!! Two little girls! Please keep us updated.

:1222423: for Taylor

:1222423: for Skyla

[Roamer]

:1222423::1222423:

[LiveLaughLuv]

Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate told the paper that they have a suspect in the case, but no motive.

Senseless. Two young girls with multiple gunshot wounds???

I'm happy to know they have a suspect. Please keep us updated on this horrible, senseless crime. What threat could these young girls have been???

Taylors dad found the bodies, Oh, that poor man....:cryintime:

:1222423: :1222423:

[SavannahStar]

This is just a horrific, terrible crime! Hope to read how it plays out in the next few days, hopefully. Hard to believe someone could do this to those two precious girls.......and for what? I cannot imagine a motive. They weren't sexually molested. So what was it for, just "sport"? :(

[Claudia]

This is just heart breaking.
Makes NO sense.

:1222423:

[KittyMom]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364582,00.html

Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, found the children after he became worried when his wife tried calling a cellular phone the girls had with them and got no answer.

"I can't describe coming up on it," Peter Placker said, sobbing uncontrollably, as he tried to remember walking up on the scene, only about one-quarter mile from his house. "I done it once and I can't do it again."



:1187603408.CR.Mothe
This shouldn't be the way he remembers his grandbaby.

[Roamer]

That poor man. I can't even imagine the pain and horror he went through when he found them. :(

[packy]

So horrible. I do hope they catch the person or persons who did this and soon. If the girls saw something they were not supposed then people in that community have an idea. How sad.

My condolences to the families.

[Nut44x4]

Police Search for Motive in Double Slayings of Oklahoma Girls
Monday, June 09, 2008
Oklahoma police are searching for a motive in the double slayings of two young girls found dead Sunday night in a ditch along a rural road.

Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Whitaker, 11, were discovered by a relative after they failed to return from an afternoon walk on the county road south of Interstate 40 in Okfuskee County near Weleetka, Okla.

The deaths of the best friends were labeled "double homicide" by investigators, according to News9.com in Oklahoma City.

The pair, who were sleeping over at Taylor's house, decided to take a walk down the desolate road Sunday afternoon, something they were used to doing in their rural community.

Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, found the children after he became worried when his wife tried calling a cellular phone the girls had with them and got no answer.

"I can't describe coming up on it," Peter Placker said, sobbing uncontrollably, as he tried to remember walking up on the scene, only about one-quarter mile from his house. "I done it once and I can't do it again."

The girls were found clothed in T-shirts and shorts with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Oklahoman.

Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate told the paper that they have a suspect in the case, but no motive.

"They were little girls," Choate told the paper. "What possible motive could there be? You have to wonder, did they see something they were not supposed to? Were they at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence said it was unknown if they were molested.

"This is a case that involves two innocent girls that were walking out on their own," Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence said. "Some evidence has been found at the scene which may be useful to us. We have spent a lot of time going down this road looking for evidence."

Meanwhile, relatives tried to make sense of the grisly killings in a community where some folks still leave their keys in their cars and residents who live 10 miles apart still call themselves neighbors.

Skyla was the carefree adventurer, the girl who walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow.

To know Taylor was to love her. She was the big-hearted girl who rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist, like on the TV shows, said Peter Placker, who said he raised Taylor like she was his daughter even though he was her biological grandparent.

She was home-schooled until the family moved to Weleetka, located about 70 miles south of Tulsa and 90 miles east of Oklahoma City. It has a population of approximately 950 people.

"She was the best kid I've known," Placker said.

Taylor attended Graham Public School in Weleetka, where in 2006 she was a fifth grade queen candidate in the Elementary Royalty Coronation, according to the school's Web site.

"Taylor was the most lively, beautiful little girl you ever met," her uncle Joe Mosher told the Oklahoman. "She was very intelligent and had good grades. She didn't have an enemy in this world. People who didn't even know her loved her."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364582,00.html

[awakening2lite]

Investigator in Oklahoma Double Murder: 'Shooter Wanted These Girls Dead'

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Investigators planned to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the case.

[Claudia]

Investigator in Oklahoma Double Murder: 'Shooter Wanted These Girls Dead'

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Investigators planned to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the case.

Thanks for the heads up, A2L!!! :0012:

[LiveLaughLuv]

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S.

Investigator in Oklahoma Double Murder: 'Shooter Wanted These Girls Dead'
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

By Sara Bonisteel


An official investigating the double murder of two young girls in Oklahoma said Tuesday the "shooter wanted these girls dead," as the relative who discovered their lifeless bodies remembered the children as inseparable best friends.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death in a ditch Sunday along a rural road in Weleetka, Okla., about 90 miles from Oklahoma City.

"There's obviously an issue here where the shooter wanted these girls dead and certainly carried that to its fullest extent," Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence told FOX News.

An autopsy found they had been shot multiple times. Florence said it didn't appear that they were molested. The girls were found clothed in their T-shirts and shorts.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365081,00.html

[Cat]

It just makes me feel ill. Prayers for these families (and the friends) who loved these little girls so much. I can feel their pain, especially the grandfather. Please update the thread after the news conference.

[TeeOne]

Why do things like this have to happen......
So sad
:1222423:
:1222423:

[LiveLaughLuv]

By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer
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, according to the State Medical Examiner's office.


Weleetka Murders
Law enforcement and family react to the killing of two young girls in...


Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found Sunday about 5:30 p.m. by Taylor's grandfather.

Investigators say they have a person of interest, but so far no arrests have been made in connection with the slayings. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation this morning announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shootings.

Investigators have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference today at the Okfuskee County Courthouse in Okemah.

Autopsies performed Monday on the girls show that they had been shot in the head and chest, said Kevin Rowland, chief medical examiner. Rowland did not release any other details. The girls were found wearing T-shirts and shorts.

Taylor and Skyla, who were classmates at the Graham school in eastern Okfuskee County, had walked down the dusty road to a bridge about mile from the home where Taylor lived with her grandparents.

Investigators spent most of the evening Sunday looking for clues in the area where the girls were found. Tire tracks preserved before heavy rains hit the area late Sunday show that a vehicle traveled down the road, then turned around near the ditch where the girls were found.

http://newsok.com/report-slain-girls-in-weleetka-shot-in-head-chest/article/3255420

[LiveLaughLuv]

http://www.newsok.tv/?titleID=1599177548

[Grande]

No suspects in murders of 2 girls near Weleetka
Associated Press - June 10, 2008 3:45 PM ET

OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says they have no suspects in the murders of 2 young girls Sunday afternoon near Weleetka in rural Okfuskee County.

The bodies of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were found by Taylor's grandfather when the two failed to return from a walk.

OSBI Special Agent Ben Rosser told reporters in Okemah today that both girls were shot multiple times. He says they were dead at the scene just a few hundred yards from the grandfather's home.

Rosser says it isn't known if the girls were sexually assaulted but he says it's not likely because they were gone only just over 30 minutes before their bodies were found.

And Rosser says while there are no suspects it appears the killer may be a local person because the area is remote and not easily accessible.

Rosser says evidence including DNA and shell casings have been sent to the OSBI lab for testing. He says the type of weapon used hasn't been determined.

A $14,000 reward is being offered by the OSBI and area banks for information leading to the killers.

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=8458956

[awakening2lite]

Thanks for the heads up, A2L!!! :0012:
EXCERPT

Ben W. Rosser, special agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, briefed reporters on the progress of the case on Tuesday afternoon and said significant headway has been made on forensic evidence gathered.

That, he said, would included ballistics and DNA samples taken from the crime scene.

Rosser said about 50 people have been interviewed in connection with the slayings of Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta. Their bodies were found Sunday night in a ditch near Weleetka in Okfuskee County.

Rosser said authorities are in the process of checking the alibis of some of those who were interviewed.

Both girls were shot several times, but they don’t appear to have been sexually molested, Rosser said.

EXCERPT

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call
the OSBI hotline at 1-800-522-8017 or the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Office at (918)623-1122.

source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_TheOk63032

[Grande]

joanv, (6/10/2008 10:11:45 AM)

This is so horrible. I feel so terribly for this family. More and more, it seems there are sickos in our society who have absolutely NO regard for human life. There were some random shootings North of there on 75 hwy about 2 months ago. Someone was taking potshots at vehicles as they drove by on the highway. I wonder if this is related? Absolutely terrible. Our prayers go out to these families.

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_A1_hThetw874180

[awakening2lite]

UPDATED: $14,000 reward offered in killing of two girls
http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2008/200806_girls.jpg
11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker (left) of Henryetta and 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker of Weleetka



source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_TheOk63032

[SavannahStar]

What do you suppose the DNA evidence is? They don't think they were sexually molested. Maybe DNA from cigarette butts around the area or something? I'm just totally guessing.

[awakening2lite]

What do you suppose the DNA evidence is? They don't think they were sexually molested. Maybe DNA from cigarette butts around the area or something? I'm just totally guessing.

That's my thought, too. Maybe drink containers, gun shells, maybe body fluids, who knows? They don't always tell us everything. They could be holding back some important evidence.

[Claudia]

That's my thought, too. Maybe drink containers, gun shells, maybe body fluids, who knows? They don't always tell us everything. They could be holding back some important evidence.

Could be something as small as a hair. I was picturing it as the shooter was not really near them. When I was thinking about it in my own head, ya know? I didn't really consider that they were shot at close range, which would mean the perp could leave dna evidence in the immediate area. I don't know why I thought that way, it was just the way it popped into my head. I make no claims to understand how my brain works. :z0tdntknw:

[awakening2lite]

EXCERPT

The girls left Taylor's home about 5 p.m. Sunday, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ben Rosser said Tuesday. They headed north on the rural county road where Taylor lived, toward a bridge that is a popular gathering spot.

Less than 30 minutes later, Taylor's grandfather found the girls in a ditch on the side of the road, Rosser said. They had multiple gunshot wounds in the head and chest. There were no signs of sexual assault.

"It's just not likely that somebody pulled off U.S. 75 or I-40 and went there," Rosser said, referring to where the girls were found, about three miles from the nearest major thoroughfare. "We're thinking it's a person from the local area."

The shooting occurred outside Weleetka, a town of about 1,000 residents 75 miles from Tulsa. Taylor and Skyla were the only girls in their sixth- and fifth-grade classes, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.

Rosser also said that although authorities were considering all avenues of investigation, they had not closed in on any suspects or persons of interest. Rosser said that evidence from the scene, including DNA and ballistics, had been sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lab for processing.

Rosser said authorities were also investigating tire tracks and footprints in determining a possible motive for the shootings.

"They were close together, as far as if they were fleeing, that's one thing we're trying to consider," he said. "We're looking at everything."

source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/10/ok.girls.deaths/?iref=mpstoryview

[Faith]

This breaks my heart. Who would do this to 2 little girls? Makes no sense to me. I hope they find out who did this. I'm very sad.

:1222423::1222423::1222423:

My sincerest and heartfelt condolences go out to the families.

[5boxersmom]

I said over on the other board I wonder if there is a meth lab near by. Meth labs are so bad in rural areas.

My heart breaks for these little girls and their families. :1222423:

My best friend is two years older then me and we use to walk on the rural roads around here all the time growing up. Heck we still did it after we became moms. That is how we would lose weight. Just not safe anymore.:(

[Pandabear]

I pray they find the sick ba*tard(s) who did this and give them some justice...Oklahoma style.

:1222423: for those babies and their families.

[TigressPen]

Could be something as small as a hair. I was picturing it as the shooter was not really near them. When I was thinking about it in my own head, ya know? I didn't really consider that they were shot at close range, which would mean the perp could leave dna evidence in the immediate area. I don't know why I thought that way, it was just the way it popped into my head. I make no claims to understand how my brain works. :z0tdntknw:



My first thoughts when reading the article was drive by shooting. Maybe my brain didn't want to contemplate the idea these girls were in any way violated prior to being murdered. So I am with you, Claudia.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families. :1222423:

[Claudia]

They were the ONLY girls in their 5th & 6th grade classes? Strange.

I wonder why the grandfather went looking for them so soon after they left? I don't know, but 30 minutes isn't long to be gone on a walk. I am wondering if he had a feeling or if he heard something.

It says they were heading to a bridge that was a popular gathering spot. How close did they make it to the bridge? If they were close to it, it is highly unlikely they would have walked up on something, especially since they say they believe the shooter to be a local person. If it was someone that knew the area, then they wouldn't be doing something close to a popular gathering spot if they didn't want to be found out. No one would put a meth lab near where people hung out. The odor alone would give them away.

I hope they figure this out soon. :1222423:

[TeeOne]

I said over on the other board I wonder if there is a meth lab near by. Meth labs are so bad in rural areas.

My heart breaks for these little girls and their families. :1222423:

My best friend is two years older then me and we use to walk on the rural roads around here all the time growing up. Heck we still did it after we became moms. That is how we would lose weight. Just not safe anymore.:(

There's a good guess. My mind is blank and I can't think of any reason for someone to just shoot these young girls just for the thrill of it. Sick bas_ards!
(it sounded right when someone up-thread said it).

[LiveLaughLuv]

I am so confused on this one. :confused:

It first said they had a suspect, then it said the gunmen wanted these girls dead, now it says they have no suspects and offer a $14,000 reward?

I do hope someone has some information that leads to the arrest of these senseless murders.



I wonder why the grandfather went looking for them so soon after they left? I don't know, but 30 minutes isn't long to be gone on a walk. I am wondering if he had a feeling or if he heard something.

Could be the grandparents were called, maybe the girls called and said they were on their way and walking through such and such....when they didn't show, he started to look for them. They must have done this hundreds of times in the past.

[packy]

I am so confused on this one. :confused:

It first said they had a suspect, then it said the gunmen wanted these girls dead, now it says they have no suspects and offer a $14,000 reward?

I do hope someone has some information that leads to the arrest of these senseless murders.





Could be the grandparents were called, maybe the girls called and said they were on their way and walking through such and such....when they didn't show, he started to look for them. They must have done this hundreds of times in the past.

I thought he went to look because one of the girls didn't answer her cell which she had with her.

[Claudia]

I am so confused on this one. :confused:

It first said they had a suspect, then it said the gunmen wanted these girls dead, now it says they have no suspects and offer a $14,000 reward?

I do hope someone has some information that leads to the arrest of these senseless murders.





Could be the grandparents were called, maybe the girls called and said they were on their way and walking through such and such....when they didn't show, he started to look for them. They must have done this hundreds of times in the past.

I am going to go back and re-read the articles. I want to see if there was a reason given for him to go look so soon after they left.

If this was completely random, and my feeling is right that they weren't close to the girls when they shot them, there is a good chance they will never be found. What better way to commit murder & get away with it? No connection to the victim & don't touch anything. I hope to hell that I'm wrong.

[Claudia]

I thought he went to look because one of the girls didn't answer her cell which she had with her.

Oh - I do think I remember reading that, Packy. That makes sense. I would do the same if my son didn't answer his cell.


Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, found the children after he became worried when his wife tried calling a cellular phone the girls had with them and got no answer.

Yup, you're correct.

[Grande]

Residents remain on edge
By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
Last Modified: 6/11/2008 2:12 AM

Weleetka residents are watching their backs — and their children.

WELEETKA — This Okfuskee County community is filled with people who yearn for the safety and comfort of small-town America.

It's a small town where people know their neighbors, where they can raise wholesome families, where people feel insulated from the problems of the big cities.

All that may have changed this week, perhaps not permanently, but it has changed.

For the 1,000 or so people who live in this community, their psyche, their innocence, has been damaged by the murders of Skyla Jade Whittaker, 11, and Taylor Dawn Pascal-Placker, 13, on Sunday afternoon.

The bodies of the two, each shot several times, were found along the side of County Line Road, about three miles northeast of here.

With the killer or killers still on the loose, area residents are watching their backs — and their children.

Dora Lynam, 60, remembers growing up and roaming around as a child with never a threat of any sort of violence around her.

It was even that way for her own children, she said.

But now Lynam has grandchildren, and she shakes her head sadly as she reflects on how times have changed "with all the weirdos running around."

"You just can't let your children go out like you used to. It's scary now," Lynam said.

She said the killings perhaps will serve as a wake-up to the nation, to say that "even in a tiny town, things like this can happen."

Rancher David Bradshaw recently moved here from California "to get away from it all."

The 60-year-old Bradshaw said the slayings "definitely raise the awareness of people, that even a remote area can attract unsavory characters." At the Weleetka Hardware Store, employee Harry St. Peter is another one who moved here from California, seeking the small-town comforts and protection that Weleetka offers.

"Why would anyone do that?" asked St. Peter, 70. "There was just no reason to kill those girls."

"There was a time you didn't need to lock your doors," he said. "Life back then was not as bad as it is today. Now you have to always guard yourself."

Meanwhile, Bill Chambers, who lives near the murder scene, said the killings hit him hard, "because I'm a tender-hearted guy."

But with the thought of a killer running loose in his neighborhood, the 80-year-old Chambers offered a feisty attitude.

"I have 20 dogs, and if they get past my dogs, they still have to get past me," he said.

Darin Hebert, 21, is planning to marry Kallie Berndt, 19, and the two of them plan to live on the outskirts of town.

Hebert, who travels on weekends to sing with the gospel group "The Homesteaders," said he's going to be afraid to leave his young bride alone while he travels.

"It scares me," he said.

Like many throughout Weleetka on Tuesday, Hebert had heard that three suspects had been arrested.

That, however, turned out to be a rumor.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080611_12_A1_hWelee382999

[Grande]

Murder probe builds
By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
6/11/2008
Last Modified: 6/11/2008 2:17 AM

OKEMAH — Authorities on Tuesday vowed to bring all of the state's law-enforcement resources to bear in the hunt for the person or persons who killed two young girls on the outskirts of Weleetka.

A $14,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers.

Ben W. Rosser, special agent for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, told a small army of reporters gathered at the Okfuskee County Courthouse that authorities are still trying to piece together and analyze evidence taken from the scene of the heinous crime.

"We're making headway on our forensics evidence," Rosser said, noting the state crime lab is now analyzing ballistics, along with DNA evidence taken from the scene.

However, at this point, Rosser said there are no suspects, not even a "person of interest" in the Sunday afternoon slayings of Skyla Jade Whittaker, 11, and Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13.

Both were shot several times each along the west side of County Line Road (N. 3890 Road), about one-fourth of a mile from Taylor's home, near Coleman Road.

The location is more than three miles northeast of Weleetka,
about 70 miles south of Tulsa.

Both girls had gone for a walk, as they often did, along the dirt road around 5 p.m. Sunday.

Thirty minutes later, their bodies were discovered by Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, who had gone looking for them after she did not answer her cell phone.

Authorities were still working to determine a motive for the crime.

Rosser said neither of the girls appeared to have been sexually molested. An estimated 30 minutes had elapsed between the time they went for the walk and when they were discovered.

Both bodies were together along the side of the road.

By Tuesday, the scene was marked with several bouquets of flowers and a pair of Teddy bears as a memorial to the girls. Torn pieces of yellow crime-scene tape provided the only clue that a crime had taken place there.

Authorities, working on tips, have so far interviewed about 50 people in connection with the murders, and Rosser said, "We're still checking their alibis."

Rosser said authorities believe the person or persons responsible are local, given the isolated area where the killings took place.

County Line Road is more than two miles east of U.S. 75 north of Weleetka. The road is flanked by dense woods and underbrush.

Rosser said investigators found shell casings at the scene, but they don't know if they are related to the crime.

Once the ballistics examination is complete, authorities hope to learn what type of gun and caliber of bullets were used to kill the girls.

Rosser also said vehicle tracks and footprints at the scene are being analyzed to determine if they are related to the murders.

The road is frequently used by farmers and ranchers in the area.

Rosser said area law enforcement is pitching in to find the killer or killers.

In addition to the OSBI and the Sheriff's Office, the Weleetka and Okmulgee police departments have aided in the investigation, along with the McIntosh County Sheriff's Office.

Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate Sr. said he has received many calls from worried parents wanting to know what to do with their children, especially since school is out for the summer.

"If it was me," the sheriff said he told them, "I wouldn't let kids walk around without being watched."

The sheriff is still trying to understand why anyone would shoot two young girls.

Both girls were described as big-hearted and fun-loving.

Rosser asked that anyone with information on the crime call Choate's office at 623-1122 or the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017.

He also said the television show "America's Most Wanted" is planning to feature the crime.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080611_12_A1_Rwrsof551521

[Breezy]

I am going to go back and re-read the articles. I want to see if there was a reason given for him to go look so soon after they left.

If this was completely random, and my feeling is right that they weren't close to the girls when they shot them, there is a good chance they will never be found. What better way to commit murder & get away with it? No connection to the victim & don't touch anything. I hope to hell that I'm wrong.

According to this article Skyler's mother had called to say she was coming to pick up her daughter....so I'm assuming this is what prompted them to try to call the cell phone..

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_A1_hThetw874180

[Breezy]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_A1_hThetw874180

WELEETKA — The slayings of two girls along a rural road near here has left Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate Sr. searching for answers.

The bodies of Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whittaker, 11, were found Sunday afternoon along County Line Road, which separates Okfuskee and Okmulgee counties. They had been shot.

"What reason could a person have to kill an 11- and 13-year-old girl?" Choate asked. "There's no reason for that."

"For any kid like that, any child, it's such a needless waste" of life.

No one has been arrested in connection with the deaths.

By Monday afternoon, residents were leaving flowers and other mementoes as a makeshift memorial to the girls at the site where their bodies were found.

The longtime friends lived in the outskirts of Weleetka, more than two miles northeast of the city. They attended the rural Graham school district, Choate said.

Their bodies were found along the west side of County Line Road, about three-fourths of a mile north of Coleman Road, the sheriff said.

Each girl had been shot several
times.

Choate said the girls' bodies were found by Taylor's father, who had gone looking for the pair.

However, family members told The Associated Press it was Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, who found the bodies.

Choate said the Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office contacted his department shortly after 4 p.m. after receiving a 911 call.

Skyla was visiting the Placker home when the girls decided to go for a walk "as they often did," Choate said. Their bodies were found about 30 minutes later.

According to Choate, Skyla's mother called the Placker home and said she would drop by to pick up her daughter.

At that point, the sheriff said, Taylor's family went looking for the girls, and their bodies were found about one-fourth of a mile north of the home.

"I can't describe coming up on it," a sobbing Peter Placker told the AP as he tried to remember walking up on the scene. "I did it once, and I can't do it again."

Skyla was the carefree adventurer, the girl who walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, Farrow said.

Taylor was a big-hearted girl who rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist, like on the TV shows, said Peter Placker, who said he raised Taylor like she was his daughter even though he was her biological grandparent.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been called in for help in the case. Choate said authorities combed County Line Road for evidence Sunday and again on Monday.

The sheriff said some clues have been found and that his office has come up with possible suspects. He would not elaborate on any evidence found, nor would he say how many suspects are involved.

Choate said authorities still are trying to determine if the girls were killed by someone driving a car along the road "or whether someone just walked out of the woods and shot them."

"We're not eliminating anything at this point," he said, as the OSBI and his deputies continued their search for more clues or possible witnesses.

Choate asked that anyone with information call his office at (918) 623-1122 or the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017.

Their killings have shocked much of the area's residents, he said.

"Murders are rare in this county," Choate said, noting the last homicide there occurred nearly three years ago.

[Grande]

http://i32.tinypic.com/2uzw8x1.jpg

Source: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message560159/pg1

[Faith]

http://i32.tinypic.com/2uzw8x1.jpg

Source: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message560159/pg1

OMG ---- thanks Grande. if true I'm glad they have suspects.

I just heard on Fox detectives are now saying the girls were not sexually molested.

[LiveLaughLuv]

What report did this dracoeyes2 get? Or is he just talking crapola!

I dont' buy this. I don't trust this and do hope these rumors cease. To me, it adds insult to injury.

I was so hoping when I opened this thread that an arrest(s) was made. I've been surfing trying to find something that said the authorites have leads on who did this. Everywhere I look, there are no suspects in this case and no one has been arrested in connection with the deaths.

[Grande]

FWIW, that's a comment from Monday. I suspect it's probably just speculation but I wanted make sure we had a screenshot.

The entire community is in my thoughts today.

[Grande]

What report did this dracoeyes2 get? Or is he just talking crapola!

I dont' buy this. I don't trust this and do hope these rumors cease. To me, it adds insult to injury.

I was so hoping when I opened this thread that an arrest(s) was made. I've been surfing trying to find something that said the authorites have leads on who did this. Everywhere I look, there are no suspects in this case and no one has been arrested in connection with the deaths.

I don't buy it either but I think it's important to document some of the speculation and rumors. Ya never know what little bit of information might become useful down the road.

[packy]

I was hoping to find that they arrested someone too. I wish the media wouldn't publish names of some people who express their concerns, like the name of the guy who said he will be traveling and leaving his wife at home.

[Claudia]

I was hoping to find that they arrested someone too. I wish the media wouldn't publish names of some people who express their concerns, like the name of the guy who said he will be traveling and leaving his wife at home.

Very true. How dumb is that? They just announced to the entire nation that this 19 yr old girl will be home alone. Pure stupidity. :madranting94dp:

[Grande]

AMW FUGITIVE DATA FILE FOR
Unknown Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker Killer

County Line Road, near Weleetka, Okla., was a very familiar place for 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker and her friend, Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11.

The two friends frequently spent the night at Taylor's house on County Line Road, and June 8, 2008 was no different. At about 5 p.m., Taylor and Skyla left the house to go on a walk they'd taken many times before. This trip though, would leave Taylor and Skyla dead, and leave detectives working to solve one of the biggest murder mysteries in Oklahoma history.

Shortly after the pair left, Taylor's grandfather and her guardian called Paschal-Placker's cell phone, trying to get them to come back. When the call went unanswered, he went looking for them. About a half mile north of the house, he found both girls on the side of the road.

Taylor Paschal-Placker and Skyla Jade Whitaker had been shot to death.

Did the two girls stumble upon something they shouldn't have? Oklahoma cops are wondering why Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker were killed.

In Okfuskee County, A Small-Town Crime, And A Big-Time Investigation

Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, was an animal lover and talked of becoming a vet.
Okfuskee County Dispatch received the 9-1-1 call at 5:41 p.m. By 6 p.m., multiple jurisdictions -- including the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations -- were on scene in Weleetka, beginning the arduous investigation of the grisly crime scene. They recovered shell casings, DNA and other evidence, which they sent to the OSBI crime lab in Edmond, Okla.

The question remains: who would want two innocent girls dead, and why? One thing was clear: whoever killed the two girls wanted them dead, and the killer -- or killers -- made sure the job was done before fleeing the scene.

OSBI investigators theorize that the location is not the kind of place someone would happen upon. It is about three miles from Highway 75, and all signs point to the killer or killers being local.

The location is isolated, and it's unlikely anyone would have heard the gunshots: in fact, Taylor Paschal-Placker's home is the nearest house to the crime scene. Still, OSBI investigators say there are currently no suspects and no persons of interest in this case.

That's why their need your help. Two girls are dead, and cops are working to bring the killers to justice. All calls to the AMW hotline -- 1-800-CRIME-TV -- can remain completely anonymous.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=56421

[Grande]

Okla. Cops Looking For Two Killers

America's Most Wanted has learned that investigators believe two different shooters may be responsible for the deaths of Weleetka, Okla. girls Skyla Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13. The girls were found shot to death on Sunday, and cops say they need your help to solve the one of the biggest mysteries in Oklahoma history.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=56421

[Grande]

Wed June 11, 2008
Funeral arrangements set for slain girls
By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer

WELEETKA — Funeral arrangements for two girls shot to death in rural Okfuskee County have been set for Friday.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death in a ditch along a dirt road near Weleetka, less than a mile from Taylor's home Sunday evening.

Funeral services for Taylor are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church. Services for Skyla are scheduled for 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

Shurden Funeral Home in Henryetta is handling funeral services for Taylor and Rogers Funeral Home, also in Henryetta, is handing services for Skyla.

The two girls took a walk down to a bridge about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, went looking for the girls after she didn't answer her cell phone. Placker found the girls and made a 911 call on his granddaughter's cell phone.

So far, no one has been arrested in the case, said Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate.

Investigators were able to get samples of tire tracks at the scene and also recovered shell casings. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ben Rosser said the investigation is focusing on people who may live in the area or be familiar with county roads since the road is not easily accessible from the interstate.

More investigators are being sent to Okfuskee County today and the OSBI will conduct a news briefing at 2 p.m. today at the Okfuskee County Courthouse in Okemah.

The girls were shot multiple times in the head and the chest, according to the State Medical Examiner's Office.

HOW TO HELP:

Donations may be sent to:

Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.

For more information call (405) 786-2216.

REWARD OFFERED

The OSBI is offering a $14,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shootings. Agent Ben Rosser said the reward could increase as the OSBI gets calls of people wanting to donate. "America's Most Wanted" plans to do a segment on the slaying. For more information, call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

http://newsok.com/funeral-arrangements-set-for-slain-girls/article/3255944/?tm=1213198947

[Grande]

<Snip>

Taylor and Skyla had walked about a quarter-mile from Taylor's home to a bridge frequented by locals several miles from both Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 75

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365081,00.html

[wheezer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the articles had all said that these girls were shot several times. LE made the statement that whoever did this "Wanted these girls dead". If that is the case, there is no way it could be a drive-by shooting IMO. One shot from the car would cause one of these young children to go down, to cause several shots to these babies, someone had to get out after the girls were on the ground/in the ditch, and shoot them again. IMO JMO

As far as a Meth House. I do think that is a very big possibility. Not necessarily the actual house(someone pointed out the smell-and that is a very good point), but maybe the girls came across a drug deal. Sometimes in these rural areas the actual Meth Lab is in one location(usually very rural), and the drug deals go down in another. IMO JMO

[Claudia]

I have to believe that if they came up on something, it wasn't something "permanent" - such as a house. They were found within 1/4 mile of the one girl's home, they were going down a path frequented by locals. No way would someone set up a lab or a "garden" (for pot) in such a place. The drug deal idea is a possibility. If it was a crime against another person, there would be another body or someone reporting a rape. This is a baffling case, no doubt about that.

[SavannahStar]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the articles had all said that these girls were shot several times. LE made the statement that whoever did this "Wanted these girls dead". If that is the case, there is no way it could be a drive-by shooting IMO. One shot from the car would cause one of these young children to go down, to cause several shots to these babies, someone had to get out after the girls were on the ground/in the ditch, and shoot them again. IMO JMO

As far as a Meth House. I do think that is a very big possibility. Not necessarily the actual house(someone pointed out the smell-and that is a very good point), but maybe the girls came across a drug deal. Sometimes in these rural areas the actual Meth Lab is in one location(usually very rural), and the drug deals go down in another. IMO JMO

Here are my thoughts:

See I'm just not buying right now that the perp(s) knew the girls and the girls "knew" something. First of all, the girls obviously didn't "see anything" while they were walking. If "something" is a meth lab or something like that.....or else others would have/could have seen it. So, that leaves, the girls "saw" or "knew" something elsewhere, and were targeted. Well......how would the perp(s) KNOW that these girls would be out walking TOGETHER, at that particular time, and where they would be walking?

I tend to think it is someone local, but not necessarily someone who knows them. I think it's a local WACKO, or two of them (AMW is reporting they think there was two shooters now). With no apparent motive other then they saw them and wanted to play with their guns. Awful to say but I just cannot fathom a real motive.

I do agree it's overkill but sometimes we do see that in a random, senseless murder (like the school killings?)......

[Grande]

Taylor Paschal-Placker - 13 Years Old from Weleetka
Skyla Whitaker - 11 Years Old from Henryetta
Joe Mosher - Taylor Paschal-Placker's uncle
Jack Choate - Okfuskee County Sheriff
Peter Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandfather
Claudia Farrow - Skyla Whitaker's grandmother
Bill Chambers - Lives near the murder scene

* Sleep over at Taylor's house
* Taylor lived with her grandparents
* Both were shot several times each along the west side of County Line Road (N. 3890 Road), about one-fourth of a mile from Taylor's home, near Coleman Road
* 911 Call recieved @ 5:41 pm
* Peter Placker discovered crime scene

[Grande]

http://i28.tinypic.com/2q0vix3.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/10iidkp.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2qjwqit.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/egvha0.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/deu5jr.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/2lc1ite.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2zf8zrm.jpg

(The latter 4 are a geographical estimates of the location based on press releases)

[awakening2lite]

They were the ONLY girls in their 5th & 6th grade classes? Strange.

I wonder why the grandfather went looking for them so soon after they left? I don't know, but 30 minutes isn't long to be gone on a walk. I am wondering if he had a feeling or if he heard something.

It says they were heading to a bridge that was a popular gathering spot. How close did they make it to the bridge? If they were close to it, it is highly unlikely they would have walked up on something, especially since they say they believe the shooter to be a local person. If it was someone that knew the area, then they wouldn't be doing something close to a popular gathering spot if they didn't want to be found out. No one would put a meth lab near where people hung out. The odor alone would give them away.

I hope they figure this out soon. :1222423:

The Grandfather tried to reach his granddaughter on her cell phone, when he couldn't get an answer he decided to go look for them.

[awakening2lite]

Taylor Paschal-Placker - 13 Years Old from Weleetka
Skyla Whitaker - 11 Years Old from Henryetta
Joe Mosher - Taylor Paschal-Placker's uncle
Jack Choate - Okfuskee County Sheriff
Peter Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandfather
Claudia Farrow - Skyla Whitaker's grandmother
Bill Chambers - Lives near the murder scene

* Sleep over at Taylor's house
* Taylor lived with her grandparents
* Both were shot several times each along the west side of County Line Road (N. 3890 Road), about one-fourth of a mile from Taylor's home, near Coleman Road
* 911 Call recieved @ 5:41 pm
* Peter Placker discovered crime scene

Hi Grande, Get mapping and pics!

I'd like to know if anyone heard the shots. If they were shot a 1/4 mile from home, someone should/could have heard them. I haven't read any report of someone hearing the shots. I do see a lot of wooded areas there, but I've lived in wooded areas and have heard shots further away than 1/4 miles. So I am curious why there is no report on that.

Second, I'd like to know why they were the only girls in their classes. Are there just a shortage of females or is there a reason for parents to send their daughters elsewhere for school?

Initial reports of the footprints indicate the children were running. Which direction were they running in? Were they running back toward the house or toward the bridge?

Is it common, in this rural area, for people to carry guns or rifles?

[Grande]

Wed June 11, 2008
Investigators say two guns were used in girls' slaying
By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer

WELEETKA — Investigators say they are now searching for more than one person in connection with the brutal slaying of two young girls in rural Okfuskee County.

Ballistics testing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows that the girls were shot with two different caliber weapons, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for OSBI.

"They suspected that there were two weapons early on in the case, but they wanted to wait for ballistics to confirm that," Brown said.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death in a ditch along a dirt road near Weleetka, less than a mile from Taylor's home Sunday evening.

Funeral arrangements for two girls shot to death in rural Okfuskee County have been set for Friday. Services for Taylor are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church. Services for Skyla are scheduled for 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

Shurden Funeral Home in Henryetta is handling funeral services for Taylor and Rogers Funeral Home, also in Henryetta, is handing services for Skyla.

The two girls took a walk down to a bridge about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, went looking for the girls after she didn't answer her cell phone. Placker found the girls and made a 911 call on his granddaughter's cell phone.

So far, no one has been arrested in the case, said Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate.

Investigators were able to get samples of tire tracks at the scene and also recovered shell casings. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ben Rosser said the investigation is focusing on people who may live in the area or be familiar with county roads since the road is not easily accessible from the interstate.

More investigators are being sent to Okfuskee County today and the OSBI will conduct a news briefing at 2 p.m. today at the Okfuskee County Courthouse in Okemah.

The girls were shot multiple times in the head and the chest, according to the State Medical Examiner's Office.

HOW TO HELP:

Donations may be sent to:

Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.

For more information call (405) 786-2216.

REWARD OFFERED

The OSBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shootings. Agent Ben Rosser said the reward could increase as the OSBI gets calls of people wanting to donate. "America's Most Wanted" plans to do a segment on the slaying. For more information, call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

http://newsok.com/investigators-say-two-guns-were-used-in-girls-slaying/article/3255944/?tm=1213205586

[SavannahStar]

Here is what I think about the classes. We know Taylor was the only 6th grader and Skylar was the only 5th grader "in their class." I think that this area is SO rural that it's a "combined class" of kids.....i.e., Taylor, Skylar, and the few others, at other grade levels.

Just a guess.....

[Grande]

Awakening;

From what I understand, the girls were on the West side of North 3890 heading South towards Taylor's home. The report I read may not be accurate but that is my understanding.

I think gun ownership is probably fairly common if it's anything like the rural community I live in.

[Claudia]

Hi Grande, Get mapping and pics!

I'd like to know if anyone heard the shots. If they were shot a 1/4 mile from home, someone should/could have heard them. I haven't read any report of someone hearing the shots. I do see a lot of wooded areas there, but I've lived in wooded areas and have heard shots further away than 1/4 miles. So I am curious why there is no report on that.

Second, I'd like to know why they were the only girls in their classes. Are there just a shortage of females or is there a reason for parents to send their daughters elsewhere for school?

Initial reports of the footprints indicate the children were running. Which direction were they running in? Were they running back toward the house or toward the bridge?


Is it common, in this rural area, for people to carry guns or rifles?

Hey A2L!

I hadn't read that they were running - I'd like to know which direction they were running in too! That could say a lot.

I also find the fact that they were the only girls very strange. I know it's a small town, but the chances of that are so rare!

I also can hear gunshots from very far away - I know more than 1/4 mile. Hard to understand no one hearing multiple shots from that close a distance.

[awakening2lite]

Here is what I think about the classes. We know Taylor was the only 6th grader and Skylar was the only 5th grader "in their class." I think that this area is SO rural that it's a "combined class" of kids.....i.e., Taylor, Skylar, and the few others, at other grade levels.

Just a guess.....


That could be, but still it doesn't explain the ratio. I'm hoping some reporter will directly ask the question of the school principle.

[awakening2lite]

Awakening;

From what I understand, the girls were on the West side of North 3890 heading South towards Taylor's home. The report I read may not be accurate but that is my understanding.

I think gun ownership is probably fairly common if it's anything like the rural community I live in.

Thanks Grande. If the report is accurate, we could assume they were being chased back from the bridge.

Still puzzled why no has reported hearing the shots. Do you know how close the other homes were to the bridge?

[SavannahStar]

That could be, but still it doesn't explain the ratio. I'm hoping some reporter will directly ask the question of the school principle.

Do you recall where the exact quote was? Because I remember that Taylor was the ONLY one in 6th grade; and Skylar the ONLY one in 5th grade, not that they were the only girls in the school ("classes"). Now I'm confused. I just got the impression it was a very, very small rural school and classes were combined. I don't know about the gender ratio.

[Grande]

I am in total disbelief knowing it is now alleged that there were 2 perps....

Whoever they are, they will remain together bonded by this horrific crime and by the knowledge that each shares. I would guess the perps are either young or in a relationship. Obviously close and share common traits, imo.

[SavannahStar]

Hey A2L!

I hadn't read that they were running - I'd like to know which direction they were running in too! That could say a lot.

I also find the fact that they were the only girls very strange. I know it's a small town, but the chances of that are so rare!

I also can hear gunshots from very far away - I know more than 1/4 mile. Hard to understand no one hearing multiple shots from that close a distance.

I'm not sure I heard they were running either. I just read that some footstep impressions indicated fleeing quickly, but I thought that was of the perp(s). Maybe I'm wrong there.

[awakening2lite]

Hey A2L!

I hadn't read that they were running - I'd like to know which direction they were running in too! That could say a lot.

I also find the fact that they were the only girls very strange. I know it's a small town, but the chances of that are so rare!

I also can hear gunshots from very far away - I know more than 1/4 mile. Hard to understand no one hearing multiple shots from that close a distance.

It also rained very shortly after the discovery of the girls. I hope no evidence was washed away.

With no one reporting hearing the shots I'm now wondering if the bridge area was a local firing range type of place. You know, not a formal firing range but more of where boys might target cans and bottles. If so, one might hear the shots all the time and think nothing of it.

[SavannahStar]

I'm in total disbelief as well. Who would have EVER thought two little girls, in such a rural community, basically out in the middle of nowhere, would get shot......MULTIPLE times...head and chest....murdered in cold blood, just out taking a walk. Unbelievable to me.

[Grande]

Thanks Grande. If the report is accurate, we could assume they were being chased back from the bridge.

Still puzzled why no has reported hearing the shots. Do you know how close the other homes were to the bridge?

The whole case is puzzling. My understanding is that there weren't any houses in between Taylor's home and the bridge. This based on notes I made from all the releases that have come accross the wire.

http://news.google.com/news?oe=utf8&hl=en&scoring=n&q=Weleetka&btnG=Search

[Grande]

<Snip>

Brown said a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case has been increased to $25,000.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25099550/

[awakening2lite]

Do you recall where the exact quote was? Because I remember that Taylor was the ONLY one in 6th grade; and Skylar the ONLY one in 5th grade, not that they were the only girls in the school ("classes"). Now I'm confused. I just got the impression it was a very, very small rural school and classes were combined. I don't know about the gender ratio.

Sorry to be the cause of confusion. It wasn't my intent to mean they were the only girls in school. We have no indication of that.

I agree your speculation could well be correct, I would just like to hear a reporter ask the principle exactly why they were the only girl in each of the two grades.

[awakening2lite]

The whole case is puzzling. My understanding is that there weren't any houses in between Taylor's home and the bridge. This based on notes I made from all the releases that have come accross the wire.

http://news.google.com/news?oe=utf8&hl=en&scoring=n&q=Weleetka&btnG=Search

Thanks Grande, that's the impression I had too.

The maps you supplied don't show any home near the bridge. But, they could be hidden by the trees.

There are hills and valleys and trees where I live and a firing range 6 miles away. We often hear distant shots and the echo of them. I feel like someone should have heard the many shots filed.

[Grande]

<Snip>

"Even though the shots were fired about a quarter-mile or so from the Placker home, windy conditions kept anyone at the house from hearing the shots."

Source: http://www.dreamindemon.com/2008/06/09/who-killed-taylor-placker-and-skyla-whitaker/

[awakening2lite]

<Snip>

"Even though the shots were fired about a quarter-mile or so from the Placker home, windy conditions kept anyone at the house from hearing the shots."

Source: http://www.dreamindemon.com/2008/06/09/who-killed-taylor-placker-and-skyla-whitaker/

thanks Grande, that explains one direction that didn't/couldn't hear the shots but not the direction in which the wind would have carried the sound.


Grande, you have been so missed around here!!!!!!!!!!

[Grande]

I'm thrilled to be back with you all awakening2lite, thank you!!

[CSOKC]

"Taylor was the only girl in the sixth grade and Skyla was in the fifth grade at the Graham school district. Located in the four corners of Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Hughes and McIntosh counties, the school is about four miles from Dustin"

http://newsok.com/article/3254870

I only see where it says that Taylor was the only girl in her class.

[Grande]

Thanks CSOKC!

[lost indie]

Taylor Paschal-Placker - 13 Years Old from Weleetka
Skyla Whitaker - 11 Years Old from Henryetta
Joe Mosher - Taylor Paschal-Placker's uncle
Jack Choate - Okfuskee County Sheriff
Peter Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandfather
Claudia Farrow - Skyla Whitaker's grandmother
Bill Chambers - Lives near the murder scene

* Sleep over at Taylor's house
* Taylor lived with her grandparents
* Both were shot several times each along the west side of County Line Road (N. 3890 Road), about one-fourth of a mile from Taylor's home, near Coleman Road
* 911 Call recieved @ 5:41 pm
* Peter Placker discovered crime scene

Were both girls being raised by their grandparents?

[lost indie]

It also rained very shortly after the discovery of the girls. I hope no evidence was washed away.

With no one reporting hearing the shots I'm now wondering if the bridge area was a local firing range type of place. You know, not a formal firing range but more of where boys might target cans and bottles. If so, one might hear the shots all the time and think nothing of it.

I wonder that too. Where I live sirens are such a part of life that I literally do not hear them in the distance.....kind of like white noise. Could be the same with gunshots there...

[Grande]

Were both girls being raised by their grandparents?

Not sure lost indie, I haven't read anything about Skyla's family other than a comment from her grandmother.

[wheezer]

"Taylor was the only girl in the sixth grade and Skyla was in the fifth grade at the Graham school district. Located in the four corners of Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Hughes and McIntosh counties, the school is about four miles from Dustin"

http://newsok.com/article/3254870

I only see where it says that Taylor was the only girl in her class.

I noticed the article said that there are only about 100 students in the school. The school ranges from Pre-K through 12th grade. So really it isn't all that strange that Taylor was the only girl in the class she was in.
Lets say those 100 students are evenly divided up among 14 grades(Pre-K through 12th grade) that means that is 7.14 students per grade.

[awakening2lite]

"Taylor was the only girl in the sixth grade and Skyla was in the fifth grade at the Graham school district. Located in the four corners of Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Hughes and McIntosh counties, the school is about four miles from Dustin"

http://newsok.com/article/3254870

I only see where it says that Taylor was the only girl in her class.


EXCERPT

The shooting occurred outside Weleetka, a town of about 1,000 residents 75 miles from Tulsa. Taylor and Skyla were the only girls in their sixth- and fifth-grade classes, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/10/ok.girls.deaths/?iref=mpstoryview
from previous page in thread

[awakening2lite]

From the US Census bureau for 2007 (Oklahoma)

Population
10 to 14 year old male = 122,998
10 to 14 year old females = 116,406

source: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/SC-EST2007-02.html

[wheezer]

From the US Census bureau for 2007 (Oklahoma)

Population
10 to 14 year old male = 122,998
10 to 14 year old females = 116,406

source: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/SC-EST2007-02.html

Is this for the whole state?
The principal of the school where both girls attended stated that the entire school only has a little over 100 students. He also stated the school(not the school district) has grades Pre-K through 12th. I think this area is just so rural, that they have one school for all grade levels.

[awakening2lite]

Is this for the whole state?
The principal of the school where both girls attended stated that the entire school only has a little over 100 students. He also stated the school(not the school district) has grades Pre-K through 12th. I think this area is just so rural, that they have one school for all grade levels.

The entire state. (according to the census bureau and the link)

I posted it to compare the male and female population of the state.

[wheezer]

Weleetka, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 1,014.

Okfuskee County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 11,814.
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 39,685.
McIntosh County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 19,456.

[awakening2lite]

Graham School
<< Graham School District 32
Parent Reviews:
()

Rr 1 Box 91 B1

Weleetka, OK 74880

(918) 652-8935

School Website

Grades: PK - 12

School Type: Public

Student Enrollment: 77

Students Per Teacher: 4

source: http://www.trulia.com/schools/OK-Weleetka/Graham_School/

[awakening2lite]

Weleetka, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 1,014.

Okfuskee County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 11,814.
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 39,685.
McIntosh County, Oklahoma population on the 2000 Census was 19,456.


Too bad, it doesn't breakdown the number of children. The closest I could get was the number of children in the state.

[awakening2lite]

http://www.trulia.com/graph_school_enrollment.php?sid=855398

source: http://www.trulia.com/schools/OK-Weleetka/Graham_School/

[awakening2lite]

Graham School District Data
County of Location: Okfuskee
Number of Schools in This District: 2
Student/Teacher ratio: 20.6
Total Students Pre Kindergarten - 12 Grade: 148
Total Males: 81
Total Females: 67
American Indian Students: 83
Asian/Pacific Islanders : 0
African Americans: 2
Hispanic: 9
White: 54
Total Staff: 26
Fulltime Teachers: 13
Ungraded Teachers: 1
Pre Kindergarten Teachers: 0
Kindergarten Teachers: 1
Elementary Teachers: 5
Secondary Teachers: 6
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0
Total Guidance Counselors: 0
LEA Administrators: 1
School Administrators: 1
LEA Admin Support Staff: 1
School Admin Support Staff: 0
Student Support Services Staff: 0
Other Support Staff: 5
Library Media Support Staff: 0
Librarians Media Specialists: 1
Instructional Aides - Total: 4
Instructional Coordinators: 0

source: http://oklahoma.educationbug.org/school-districts/12868-graham.html

[awakening2lite]

Of the two school in the district this is the population breakdown for the Prekindergarten thru 8th grade:

Male/Female Population
Male Female Total
54-- 38------ 92


source: http://oklahoma.educationbug.org/public-schools/elementary/73562-graham-es.html

[wheezer]

For me personally it is really not surprising after reading these stats that Taylor was the only girl in that class. I bet there have been some years where there might have been only 1 boy in a certain grade/class.

[SavannahStar]

For me personally it is really not surprising after reading these stats that Taylor was the only girl in that class. I bet there have been some years where there might have been only 1 boy in a certain grade/class.

I agree.

I see where I was confused before thinking they were the only INDIVIDUALS in their respective classes. Oy vey. :0doh:

But still.....VERY VERY small school.

[TeeOne]

Anyone know if NG has had this story on yet?

[Grande]

Anyone know if NG has had this story on yet?


Not that I'm aware of. Greta will be covering the story at 10PM EST on "On The Record" according to her blog; http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/06/11/on-the-record-live-show-vote-vote-now/

[Grande]

Wed June 11, 2008
Investigators screening computers, searching for classmates
By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer

WELEETKA — Investigators have been screening computers and talking to friends of two young girls who were found shot to death Sunday along an Okfuskee County road.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death in a ditch along a dirt road near Weleetka, less than a mile from Taylor's home Sunday evening. They had gunshot wounds to the head and chest, according to the State Medical Examiner's Office.

So far there have been no arrests in the case and the motive remains a mystery.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ben Rosser said in a news conference this afternoon that agents are trying to find kids who may have talked to the girls frequently or knew their patterns.

"We're talking to young people because the victims were young," Rosser said. "We've got leads and we're talking to their friends, but a lot of people are harder to find than others."

Earlier in the day, investigators said shell casings from two guns were found at the scene, leading investigators to believe that more than one person may have been involved in the killings.

Ballistics testing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation show the girls were shot with two different caliber weapons, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for OSBI.

"They suspected that there were two weapons early on in the case, but they wanted to wait for ballistics to confirm that," Brown said this afternoon.

Agents are hoping a $25,000 reward might bring forth information in the killings. Local banks contributed $5,000 towards the reward.

"When two people know about it (a crime), it's more in our favor," Brown said.

Investigators today were screening a computer that Taylor used at the Placker home, which is common in this type of investigations, Brown said.

Officials believe people connected to the slayings may be from the local area or are familiar with the rural county roads in Okfuskee County.

"That's my gut feeling. It's an isolated area. We don't know if this is some kind of random thrill killing or an attempted abduction or a case of mistaken identity," OSBI Agent Ben Rosser said during the afternoon press conference. "It's possible they may have interrupted something at the bridge."

The bridge along County Line Road is a popular place for teens to gather and shoot guns, Rosser said.

Agents looked into a tip this morning that someone reported a pickup full of boys were in the area around the time of the killings.

"We contacted those individuals, and yes, they had a shotgun," Rosser said. "They told us they were down there shooting, just like they would have been on any Sunday. There's nothing to indicate that they are suspects."

The Placker family said Taylor and her friend had walked down the road to the bridge about 5 p.m. Sunday. When they didn't return and couldn't be reached by cell phone, Taylor's grandfather went looking for her and found the bodies. Peter Placker placed a 911 call from Taylor's phone.

Funeral services for the two girls are set for Friday. Services for Taylor are 10 a.m. Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church. Services for Skyla are 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

Shurden Funeral Home in Henryetta will handle funeral services for Taylor and Rogers Funeral Home, also in Henryetta, will handle services for Skyla.

HOW TO HELP:

Donations may be sent to:

Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.

For more information call (405) 786-2216.

REWARD OFFERED

The OSBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shootings. Agent Ben Rosser said the reward could increase as the OSBI gets calls of people wanting to donate. "America's Most Wanted" plans to do a segment on the slaying. For more information, call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

http://newsok.com/investigators-screening-computers-searching-for-classmates/article/3255944/?tm=1213212643

[awakening2lite]

Anyone know if NG has had this story on yet?

Nancy Grace has this on her show last night. Here's the transcript:

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Oklahoma police are looking for the killer of two young girls. The bodies of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were found Sunday afternoon by one of their grandfathers near their hometown of Weleetka, just east of Oklahoma City. State investigators say both girls were shot multiple times.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: I don`t know how this could be random. Each child was shot multiple times.

Out to Randy Renner, morning host of KOKC Radio.

Hi, Randy, what`s the latest?

RANDY RENNER, MORNING HOST, KOKC RADIO: Well, Nancy, the latest is the OSBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and the sheriff`s department over there in Okfuskee County had a news conference this afternoon.

Last night the sheriff indicated that perhaps they had some suspects. Today, though, the word is that there are no suspects and no person of interest. At least no one that`s real solid in the case here.

They`ve talked to the -- the investigators have talked to an awful lot of people, trying to track things down on this, and they have said that they all.

GRACE: Well, Randy.

RENNER: . have alibis, but they`re not all quite.

GRACE: Tell me what happened. I want to hear the facts surrounding the shootings.

RENNER: As we understand it, the two girls were best of friends, Taylor and Skyla. Taylor, 13 years old, Skyla, 11 years old. Each was the only girl in their respective classes at school. So they were best of friends. They were having a sleepover -- about to have a sleepover at Taylor`s house and they go up and down this country road, out where they live.

They`ve been up and down it many, many times, down to a bridge is where they were going. Now one of the little girls liked to collect turtles. They were both really into animals. So -- you know, it`s a Sunday afternoon, it`s a nice day, they went for a walk down to the bridge at about 5:00 in the afternoon.

The grandfather of one of the girls tries to call one of them on her cell phone, asked them to come back to the house. Didn`t get an answer on the phone. He decides, well, you know, it is just right down here by the bridge, I`ll just go get them.

He, unfortunately, made the horrific discovery of both little girls in a ditch. They`d been shot to death. And it`s my understanding that he used the cell phone of one of the girls then to call 911 and then the emergency responders came, Okfuskee County, and then they got ahold of the OSBI, the State Bureau of Investigation here.

And the investigation was really -- especially in the early stages, they had to do this fairly quickly, because we were having -- a rainstorm was about to move in. And as you guys are aware, collecting this evidence is critical at that point and they wanted to get this done, so they brought in a lot of people, there were some volunteers, the Okfuskee County Sheriff`s Department, police from the area there, and collected as absolutely as much as they could and they believe that they`re in pretty good shape there.

Then the rains came and washed away some of the evidence.

GRACE: Right.

Also joining us tonight, a very special guest. You all know Mark Klaas. He`s a child advocate. He is the founder of BeyondMissing.com. His daughter, Polly, was abducted and then murdered from a sleepover.

Mark, thank you for being with us. Respond to what you`re hearing, and what`s your advice for the parents?

MARK KLAAS, BEYONDMISSING.COM, FATHER OF MURDER VICTIM POLLY KLAAS: Well, first of all, I`d like to offer my condolences to these families. I know exactly what they`re going through and it`s about the worst circumstance you could possibly imagine.

I think what has to happen at this point is, you have to realize there`s a homicidal maniac lose somewhere in that community. This probably didn`t come in off the highway, it`s probably somebody local. People should keep their families and their children very close vest. Take them to and from school, make sure that they stay close to home until this thing is resolved one way or the other.

And I believe the investigators should be looking at family. They should then be looking at people very close to the family, peripheral contacts, and then possibly that so-called stranger -- that stranger scenario.

But in a community of only 1,000, I think they do probably have a very limited -- a very limited pool of suspects.

GRACE: Mark, you`re absolutely correct. In a small area like this, I mean, how likely is it that someone is going to come into town, come into the area, a very rural area, that`s why they moved there, for the safety of their children, take target practice on two little girls on the side of the road? I agree with you, it`s somebody local.

Out to Jessica Brown. She is the PIO with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Officer, thank you for being with us. What can you tell us about the evidence?

JESSICA BROWN, PIO, OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We found quite a bit of evidence there at the scene, but as you know, until we can get that tested at our brand-new crime scene laboratory, then we`re not going to know what it can tell us.

So we`re waiting for those tests, but in the meantime, we`re investigating by interviewing many people, as we have talked about, family, friends, anyone from that area. We do believe it`s possibly someone who lives in that area. So we do believe that someone in that area committed these murders and probably has told someone else.

And that`s why we have this $10,000 reward from OSBI and then other money from the community, hoping that that will entice someone to come forward and let OSBI know or other law enforcement know what happened here.

We`ve got to get this person off the streets before he does it again.

GRACE: And to Mike Brooks -- Mike Brooks, I`ve seen a lot of cases where you actually could do something with the shoe prints. All right? In fact, do I even have to say O.J. Simpsons and the Bruno Mollies. It can be done. And thank God they got out there before that rain hit to take shoe prints.

You turn them into a cast, basically, like a cast on your arm and can use them at trial if you can match them up to something. What do you make of the shoe prints?

BROOKS: I make a lot of the shoe prints, Nancy, and also the tire impressions whether -- they`ll make a plaster cast of that. They teach everybody to do that and it comes up very, very well, were detailed, little nicks and everything in the tire.

But also, Nancy, they were talking that they also could possibly have shell casings at the scene. And which shell casings, you also could have possible fingerprint evidence.

Now also at the news conference today, the OSBI said that there could also be some DNA evidence. So it sounds like they got a lot of forensics there at the scene.

GRACE: They got DNA evidence. Very interesting. I`d like to find out how that happened.

Very quickly, out to Dr. Marty Makary. The girls were shot multiple times -- these two little girls. Is there any way to determine which shot what first, Dr. Makary?

DR. MARTY MAKARY, PHYSICIAN, PROF. OF PUBLIC HEALTH, JOHNS HOPKINS: They can look at the degree to which the blood has clotted or become firm, because the original blood becomes firm quickly.

They`re also going to be looking at entrance and exit wounds to determine the size of the ballistics, and whether or not they were shot at close range or from a distance.

So there`s a lot of information in the forensic evidence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Investigators are working through the night to gather evidence on this rural road in Okfuskee County. This is where they say two girls just went of a walk and then someone murdered them. It happened just a half a mile away from one of the girls` home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: I want to go straight back out to Randy Renner with KOKC Radio. You told me there was a possible suspect?

RENNER: Well, last night, the sheriff of Okfuskee County indicated in an interview -- he said we have some suspects. Now maybe the sheriff was -- had a little bit of wishful thinking there.

GRACE: Yes.

RENNER: . and after a lot of interviews.

GRACE: OK. So that`s not correct.

RENNER: . and talked to a bunch of people. And now they`re not very sure. They -- in fact, today they said we have no suspects. We don`t even have a person of interest.

GRACE: OK.

RENNER: However, what they did say is the alibis aren`t really matching with everybody just yet.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Sheeba in Illinois. Hi, Sheeba.

SHEEBA, ILLINOIS RESIDENT: Hi, hi, darling. My question is, is there no place that is safe for children (INAUDIBLE)?

GRACE: You know what? You know what, Sheeba? I grew up in a very rural area.

Out to Jessica Brown, joining us from the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations. You know these people move there. One of the reasons was to have a safe upbringing for their children.

What`s the crime rate?

BROWN: Very low there, as you can imagine. I came from a small town, too. We walk the streets all the time without any fear. And if this can happen near Weleetka, Oklahoma, believe me it can happen anywhere.

So really, the moral behind the story, among many, is to keep your children close, because you cannot trust anyone anymore.

GRACE: You know what, Jessica? Or should I say Officer, as a new mother, believe me, I will.

Thank you for being with us. And to you, too, Mr. Renner.

source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0806/10/ng.01.html

[awakening2lite]

Wed June 11, 2008
Investigators screening computers, searching for classmates
By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer



Earlier in the day, investigators said shell casings from two guns were found at the scene, leading investigators to believe that more than one person may have been involved in the killings.

Ballistics testing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation show the girls were shot with two different caliber weapons, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for OSBI.

"They suspected that there were two weapons early on in the case, but they wanted to wait for ballistics to confirm that," Brown said this afternoon.

"When two people know about it (a crime), it's more in our favor," Brown said.

Investigators today were screening a computer that Taylor used at the Placker home, which is common in this type of investigations, Brown said.

Officials believe people connected to the slayings may be from the local area or are familiar with the rural county roads in Okfuskee County.


The bridge along County Line Road is a popular place for teens to gather and shoot guns, Rosser said.

<snipped>

http://newsok.com/investigators-screening-computers-searching-for-classmates/article/3255944/?tm=1213212643

thanks Grande, that answers my question about it being an area, used by young people, to shoot guns and rifles.

Do you know if they can trace a shotgun discharge back to the shotgun? I'm not sure they can do that. But the casings might have fingerprints.

Looks like they are closing in fast on this case.

[Faith]

awakening2lite, I heard on TV, I think Greta last night, they said it can be traced to the gun.

[TigressPen]

This could have been drugged up thrill kill but I am not completely set on that scenario. So many shots for small children, overkill.

I wonder if the Grandfather sensed soemthing, heard the shots but didn't think gunshots just that the girls should come home. You get those nagging intitutive feelings that all isn't right and they drive you nuts until you check just to make sure.

[Nut44x4]

New information in deaths of two young girls

Last Update: 5:06 pm
WELEETKA, Okla. (AP) - A state police investigator in Oklahoma says the fatal shootings of two young girls may have been random -- or they may have come across a crime taking place.

Police now believe two shooters were involved. They say two different guns were used in the shootings, and they say that would normally suggest two different shooters.

The state medical examiner's office says each girl was shot multiple times in the head and chest.

The bodies of 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker were found Sunday by Taylor's grandfather, near a bridge about a quarter of a mile from his home.

Investigators are examining evidence, including tire tracks, shell casings, ballistics and shoe prints.

The shootings were in an isolated rural area, leading investigators to believe a local person may have been involved.
http://www.woai.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=5813a0b8-7d77-4849-8752-48254b33fee6

[Faith]

Mark Fuhrman was right on last night with what he said on Greta. I hope he is on there tonight.

[Faith]

Be sure and watch Nancy Grace at 7/8

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/NG.jpg

[Breezy]

I was hoping to find that they arrested someone too. I wish the media wouldn't publish names of some people who express their concerns, like the name of the guy who said he will be traveling and leaving his wife at home.

Packy, I thought the same thing after I read the article.

[TeeOne]

Just a quick note, this story made our local tv 6 o'clock news in the Detroit area. it was just alittle short 'what they know' story. Nothing to compare what we have on here.

This is day two that my cable is out and I'm gonna miss all the tv news tonight. Thank goodness I was getting my nails done and heard the 6 o'clock news there.

[awakening2lite]

Be sure and watch Nancy Grace at 7/8

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/NG.jpg



This is on now!

[Isabella]

Be sure and watch Nancy Grace at 7/8

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/NG.jpg
Thank You Faith
For the precious girls :1222423:

[Faith]

I'm convinced the LE knowns much more than we've been told. I hope they find these killers.

[TeeOne]

Just talked to my dil in Muskogee, Weleeka is about 40 minutes away. She told me what she knows about the shooting from local news and really not anything that hasn't been reported here. Actually her mother use to work in Weleekca.

[TigressPen]

Slaying of 2 girls stuns small town in Oklahoma



WELEETKA, Okla. -- Maybe they stumbled onto a crime in progress. Perhaps they were ambushed by "drunks and dopeheads." Or maybe it was some kind of thrill killing.

The slayings of two girls -- ages 11 and 13 -- who were shot along a rural back road have baffled investigators and struck fear into townspeople, who are now afraid to let their children out of their sight.

"Still no motive, and I hate to say that," Ben Rosser, an agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said Wednesday. "This could be some kind of random thrill killing, it could be an attempted abduction, it could be somebody that just for whatever reason had a personal motive, maybe mistaken identity or possibly they did interrupt something down near the bridge. We just don't know."

snipped:

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/national/BO80318/

[LiveLaughLuv]

updated 9:20 p.m. EDT, Tue June 10, 2008


Police look for multiple suspects in girls' shootings

Police: Two guns used to kill Taylor Dawn Paschal, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11

Oklahoma authorities raise reward to $25,000 in girls' deaths

Authorities question young people in the area, look into computer evidence

By Emanuella Grinberg
CNN

(CNN) -- Two Oklahoma schoolgirls were killed with two guns, leading investigators to believe that more than one person was involved in their deaths, authorities said Wednesday.


Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, left, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were killed Sunday.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta, were shot multiple times Sunday on a rural road about a quarter-mile from Taylor's home.

Investigators don't have any suspects or motives, but a forensic examination of the bodies indicated that two guns had been used, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Agent Ben Rosser said Wednesday.

"This leads us to believe that we're probably looking for two shooters," Rosser said at a news conference Wednesday, where he also announced that authorities had raised the reward to $25,000. Watch what officials are doing to solve the case »

With two shooters, Rosser said he was hopeful that one would turn on the other and come forward.


Rosser said investigators were considering a variety of motives as they searched for suspects, including the possibility of a "random thrill kill."

Because of the girls' ages, Rosser said investigators were looking at computer evidence and questioning young people in the area to develop possible leads.

Authorities said Tuesday that they believed the shooters were most likely from the area, considering the remote location where the bodies were found.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ok.girls.deaths/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[SavannahStar]

I personally think it was a random thrill kill.

[Claudia]

I personally think it was a random thrill kill.

I'm kinda leaning that way too, SS. That makes it even scarier, and more evil.

[TigressPen]

I personally think it was a random thrill kill.



That was my first thought also. Perhaps an attempt kidnapping gone wrong, for reasons I don't want to contemplate. But country back roads are winding and old and narrow so it isn't like they could really reach extreme speeds in the get-away.


I just hope someone calls the police and gives a solid lead. That poeple saw a vehicle in the area and call. Something. Anything. Before this case goes cold.

[Grande]

Thu June 12, 2008
For slain Weleetka girls' kin, pain keeps coming
By Johnny Johnson
Staff Writer

WELEETKA — Rose Whitaker took one look at the man waving at her in the road Sunday and knew something was terribly wrong.

"They're gone,” the man said when she pulled up alongside him. "They're both gone. The girls are dead.”

Whitaker's daughter, Skyla Jade, 11, and Skyla's best friend, Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, lay lifeless in a nearby ditch. Each had been shot multiple times in the chest and head.

Ballistics tests and autopsies indicate two weapons of different calibers were involved, raising the possibility of more than one killer.

For Skyla's family, Wednesday was the hardest day.

Forensic investigators returned the girl's body to a funeral home, giving her mother, father and grandparents their first chance to see her since her death.

Last weekend, Whitaker let Skyla sleep over at Taylor's house. At 5:08 p.m. Sunday, Whitaker called to let Taylor's grandfather know she was on her way to pick up Skyla.

A short time later, the grandfather, Peter Placker, found the girls in a ditch about 300 yards from his home. He waved Whitaker down as she drew near.

"Placker stopped her and wouldn't let her get close,” said Claudia Farrow, Skyla's grandmother. "He just held her and said, ‘They're gone.' ”

When Farrow found out, she and her husband, Jimmy, broke the news to Skyla's father, James Whitaker.

"When we told him, he just went numb,” Claudia Farrow said.

At the crime scene, Claudia Farrow bolted toward her granddaughter's body, making it about 50 feet before she was stopped. She just wanted to see her special granddaughter, who'd been in the process of finishing her first quilt for 4-H.

The family waited at the scene until 3 a.m. hoping for some answers. There were none to give.

Still no suspects
Three days later, the families of both of the victims don't know much more than they did that first night.

In a news conference Wednesday, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Ben Rosser said investigators are trying to find children who talked to the girls often and knew their habits.

"We're talking to young people because the victims were young,” Rosser said. "We've got leads, and we're talking to their friends, but a lot of people are harder to find than others.”

Earlier Wednesday, investigators said two guns were used in the killings.

Jimmy Farrow said he'd been told that the first night.

"They said there was a high-powered weapon and a low-powered weapon,” Jimmy Farrow said. "One of the TV stations showed shell casings piled up in the road where it happened.”

Jessica Brown, OSBI spokeswoman, said ballistics examiners confirmed the use of two weapons.

Investigators are also screening a computer that Taylor used at the Placker home, Brown said.

Agents are hoping a $25,000 reward might lead to information that will crack the case. Local banks and community members contributed $5,000 toward the reward.

Investigators think killers were familiar with area
Officials think the slayings may have been committed by people from the local area or who are familiar with the rural Okfuskee County roads.
"That's my gut feeling,” Rosser said. "It's an isolated area. We don't know if this is some kind of random thrill killing or an attempted abduction or a case of mistaken identity. It's possible they may have interrupted something at the bridge.”

The bridge along County Line Road is a popular place for teens to gather and shoot guns, Rosser said.

Agents looked into a tip Wednesday morning that someone reported a pickup full of boys in the area around the time of the killings.

"We contacted those individuals, and yes, they had a shotgun,” Rosser said. "They told us they were down there shooting, just like they would have been on any Sunday. There's nothing to indicate that they are suspects.”

The Placker family previously said Taylor and Skyla walked to the bridge about 5 p.m. Sunday.

When they didn't return and could not be reached by cell phone, Peter Placker went looking for them and found the bodies. He called 911 using Taylor's phone.

Wednesday, Joe Mosher, Taylor's great uncle, said the family is distraught and not interested in talking to the media.

Funeral services for Taylor will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church. Services for Skyla will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

Shurden Funeral Home in Henryetta will handle funeral services for Taylor, and Rogers Funeral Home, also in Henryetta, will handle services for Skyla.

http://newsok.com/for-slain-weleetka-girls-kin-pain-keeps-coming/article/3256335/?tm=1213251030

[SavannahStar]

Thanks, Grande.

Just heartbreaking.

[SavannahStar]

Source: Authorities Talk To Possible Weleetka Witness
Agents Believe Multiple Gunmen Responsible For Killings

POSTED: 8:46 am CDT June 9, 2008
UPDATED: 10:55 am CDT June 12, 2008


WELEETKA, Okla. -- A source told Eyewitness News 5 Thursday that law enforcement officials are interviewing somebody who claims to have seen two slain girls moments before they were killed.

LATEST VIDEOS: Principal Of Slain Children Speaks Out | OSBI Look For Multiple Gunmen In Slayings | Watch Wed. OSBI News Conference

The source never said anything that would indicate that the eyewitness saw the shooting deaths of Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta. However, state authorities determined Wednesday that two guns were used to kill the girls Sunday along a county road in Okfuskee County, and an OSBI agent said Wednesday he believes they're looking for multiple gunmen.

A spokesman with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said detectives still have no suspects in the girls' deaths.

OSBI authorities said Wednesday that $25,000 in reward money is now available to anybody who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction. Spokeswoman Jessica Brown said $10,000 of the reward came from OSBI, $10,000 came from the U.S. Marshal's office and $5,000 came from the community.

The focus of the investigation on Wednesday is in determining whether the girls just walked into a random bad situation or were targeted. However, OSBI lead agent Ben Rosser said authorities are no closer to an arrest Wednesday than they were on Tuesday.

During a Wednesday news conference in Okemah, Rosser said authorities have gotten tips and leads from people across the country. They even got information from a caller in Great Britain. Rosser said 10 agents are working full-time on the case and that two agents are gathering intelligence for background purposes.

Rosser said investigators have interviewed several people and that DNA is being gathered from the girls to match up against evidence from possible suspects. Among the worst-case scenarios investigators are considering are that the shooting was random, the girls stumbled upon something or were targeted. He said Wednesday that he believes the girls were killed where they were found along the road, not killed somewhere else and transported there.

Rosser said investigators will not know whether the girls were sexually assaulted until autopsies are completed.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to call either the OSBI hot line at 800-522-8017 or the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office at 918-623-1122.

The Okfuskee County Sheriff's Department said the girls had gone for a walk along a bridge during a sleepover. The grandfather of one of the girls went to get them and discovered the bodies, officials said.

"I can't describe coming up on it," Peter Placker said, sobbing uncontrollably as he recalled walking up to the scene, only about one-quarter mile from his house. "I done it once, and I can't do it again."

Meanwhile, relatives tried to make sense of the grisly killings in a community where some citizens still leave their keys in their cars and residents who live 10 miles apart still call themselves neighbors.

Skyla was a carefree adventurer, a girl who walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow.

Relatives said to know Taylor was to love her. She was the big-hearted girl who rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist, like on the TV shows, said Placker, who said he raised Taylor like she was his daughter even though he was her biological grandparent.

She was home-schooled until the family moved to Weleetka, located about 70 miles south of Tulsa.

"She was the best kid I've known," Placker said.

Accounts to help the families with burial expenses for the two girls have been established at the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka. To donate, call 405-786-2216.

http://www.koco.com/news/16547383/detail.html

[Grande]

Investigators return to scene of Weleetka double homcide
By Staff Reports
Last Modified: 6/12/2008 10:41 AM

WELEETKA -- Investigators on Thursday returned to the scene where two girls were found slain over the weekend.

Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death Sunday afternoon on a rural road near Weleetka. The state Medical Examiner's Office said each suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

Two different caliber weapons were used to kill the two Weleetka girls, leading investigators to believe there were at least two killers, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent said Wednesday.

Taylor's grandfather found the girls' bodies along a dirt road about 30 minutes after they left to go on a walk.

No arrests have been made. There is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers. For more information, call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

Also, donations are being accepted for both families under separate accounts, said Robena Peters, accounts supervisor for the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka. Donations may be made to the Skyla Whittaker Memorial Fund or the Taylor Paschal- Placker Memorial fund, and sent to the Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880. For more information, call (405)786-2216.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080612_12_WELEE73577

[Faith]

I'm confused.

Supposedly

1) the girls were shot from the front
2) the girls were running when they were shot

If the girls were running when they were shot why would they be running toward the perpetrator/s?

Investigators returned to the scene today. The way I understood it on NG tonight, they were checking to see if maybe someone was UP in a tree shooting. Perhaps the angle of the bullet holes showed they were in a tree or tall vehicle.

If they were running toward the shooter, could someone have been behind them chasing them?

[awakening2lite]

NG ~ breaking news. Eye witness claims to have seen the girls just before the shooting.

The were shot down just 300 yards from the Grandfathers house.


EXCERPT

Witness Says He Saw Okla. Girls Before Killing

Investigators talked with a witness who said he saw two girls moments before they were killed along a county road in east-central Oklahoma, a state agent said.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lead agent Ben Rosser said they tested the witness' story and believe him to be credible, KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported. At a Thursday news conference, Rosser said that the witness offered no names of people he might have seen in the area moments before Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta, were shot to death.

Rosser added that he would rather not say whether the witness offered descriptions of people in the area.

source: http://www.nbc5.com/news/16590909/detail.html

[Faith]

Great is on now and talking about the case.

[Faith]

OMG @ what the g-ma said- :1187603408.CR.Mothe

[awakening2lite]

OMG @ what the g-ma said- :1187603408.CR.Mothe


What did she say, Faith? I missed it.


Here's another article on the eye witness:

EXCERPT

Oklahoma police said Thursday that they've interviewed a witness who drove by two girls minutes before they were shot dead along a country road.

"We can let you know — and the shooters out there — that we do have a witness that was there shortly before the shooting," Special Agent Ben Rosser of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said at an afternoon news conference.

His agency has interviewed the male witness and believes his story to be credible, Rosser said.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365902,00.html

[Faith]

She told where her grandaughter was shot. She looked at her body at the funeral home.

[Harmony]

One of those wounds the grandmother described would have to be at close range IMO.

I think they are going to find the perpetrators of this horrific crime.
Justice is on its way Taylor and Skyla!

[packy]

It had to be hard to see those wounds. OMG!

[Faith]

I agree Harmony. I think they will find the killers.

Packy, I can't imagine going in and looking at the child's body.

The g-ma said she was shot in her leg/s so that meant? she was shot after she was down she thought? I wish I knew how to work my DVR I want to hear that again. I am electronically challenged. :blondblush113268230

[TeeOne]

I'm so glad that this one witness has come forward, that's a step in the right direction.

[Faith]

This is a rush transcript from "America's Election HQ," June 11, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: All there is breaking news in the case of those two little girls murdered in Oklahoma over the weekend. Investigators now believe the two guns and two separate shooters killed the 11 and 13-year-old girls who were also best friends. Police have no suspects, no motive, and few clues.

FOX's Douglas Kennedy just spoke to one of the investigators and now here with us to tell us about the latest.

DOUGLAS KENNEDY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT : Yes, Bill, and I'd just spoke with one of the girl's uncles. Joe Mosher says both families are struggling right now to make sense out of what is obviously a senseless and unexplainable crime.

• Video: Watch Douglas Kennedy's package

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNEDY (voice-over): A cross on a tree. Flowers and stuffed animals just underneath. Both sitting on the side of this rural Oklahoma road, a makeshift memorial is now all that's left of two girls struck down together, for reasons no one yet understands.

CLAUDIA FARROW, SKYLA WHITAKER'S GRANDMOTHER: There's a loss that you can't explain. It's very hard on us, very hard on all of us.

JACK CHOATE, OKFUSKEE COUNTY SHERIFF: There is no just reason for that whatsoever.

KENNEDY: On Sunday afternoon, 13-year-old Taylor Paschal Placker was playing with her best friend, 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker, on the very road near Placker's house in the small town of Willika (ph). Police say Taylor's grandfather came outside to tell them to come in when he discovered their bodies.

SPECIAL AGENT BEN ROSSER, OSBI: He walked north of the house. He got 200 to 300 yards north of the house and he found the girls on the side of the road. Both girls had been shot multiple times. Both girls were dead at the scene.

KENNEDY: For days, there have been no clues and no suspects. But this afternoon, a ballistics test came back showing two different guns were used on the girls.

This is very significant. It shows that there might have been two people who committed this crime. It's also significant in other ways. Explain.

JESSICA BROWN, OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (through phone): Well, now we would believe there are two people involved. We hope, at least, one will have a conscience. One might talk to people. So, we have double the chance of that happening now.

JOE MOSHER, TAYLOR PLACKER'S UNCLE: Whoever did this is in the community right now, and this could happen to anyone in this community.

KENNEDY: Willika (ph) is small town of 1,000 people located in northeastern Oklahoma. Residents say they've been shocked and scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It took a monster to do this.

KENNEDY: But most of the emotions here is reserved for the girls' families who say they are in unspeakable grief. Skyla's grandmother said she is consumed with the loss of what her grandmother might have been.

FARROW: She's a special girl. She would have been somebody once she'd grow up. She would have been somebody.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KENNEDY: Mosher who is Taylor's uncles says his family has now set up a fund to pay for Taylor's funeral. If anyone would like to contribute, he says they can contact the Oklahoma Bank of Commerce at 405-786-2216. That's 405-786-2216. He says, Bill and Megyn, tragically, her family has no money at this point to pay for the funeral.

HEMMER: You heard the uncle say that they believe the killer is still in the community.

KENNEDY: That's right.

HEMMER: Well, what gives them that hunch?

KENNEDY: Because this community is so far away from everything. There's no highways, there's no main roads there. They think that nobody would be driving down this road except somebody in the community there.

HEMMER: Thank you, Douglas. A breaking news tonight.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365901,00.html

[Faith]

I'm so glad that this one witness has come forward, that's a step in the right direction.

Perhaps he saw another car or person around the girls and can help identify.

Skyla wasn't shot in the face according to her g-ma.

[awakening2lite]

I'm so glad that this one witness has come forward, that's a step in the right direction.

I just bet it makes the killer(s) very nervous! Shaken in the boots, nervous! No wonder they won't give out his name!

[Faith]

Funeral services planned for girls

Updated: June 12, 2008 09:53 PM

Funeral services are planned for the two girls killed in Weleetka on Sunday afternoon, family members said.

The funerals will both be held on Friday, in two separate towns.

The family of 11-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker will hold her funeral services at 10 a.m. on Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church, 507 E 6th St., in Dewar.

Skyla Whitaker, 13, will have her funeral services held at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Henryetta, 420 West Trudgeon St., in Henryetta.

To make a donation to the girls' separate funeral funds, contact the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka at 405-786-2216.

To make a donation to the girls' reward fund, send your contribution to:

Placker-Whitaker Reward Fund
Bank of Commerce
C/O Robena Peters
102 W 9th St
Weleetka, OK 74880

Ph: (405) 786-2216

[Faith]

http://images44.imikimi.com/image/images_full/76482244.gif

[TeeOne]

http://images44.imikimi.com/image/images_full/76482244.gif


Oh Faith, that is beautiful!

[packy]

Very beautiful, Faith.

[Harmony]

That is beautiful Faith!

I brought this link over from Paige's thread. A virtual candle can be lit for Skyla and Taylor. I started two groups for them. 'Sky' for Skyla and 'Tay' for Taylor. If anyone is interested just click search and type in group name.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng

[KittyMom]

I pray that there is a break in this case soon. Someone has to be sweating bullets waiting for LE to come knocking.

[Faith]

Thank you all. This case has touched my heart. :1187603408.CR.Mothe

Thanks Harmony, I lit a candle for each girl.

I agree KM, I hope God puts so much pressure on the individual/s where they will come forward today.

[TeeOne]

That is beautiful Faith!

I brought this link over from Paige's thread. A virtual candle can be lit for Skyla and Taylor. I started two groups for them. 'Sky' for Skyla and 'Tay' for Taylor. If anyone is interested just click search and type in group name.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng

Thanks Harmony!
I've never lit a candle before and it was so sad to think of those young girls gone.......

[Faith]

Guest Book for
Skyla Jade Whitaker

http://www.legacy.com/OKLAHOMAN/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=111261343


Guest Book for
Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker

http://www.legacy.com/OKLAHOMAN/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=111261323

[Grande]

Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals
6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

[Claudia]

Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals
6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

Someone seriously needs to stop those idiots. Permanently. :45024:

[Faith]

Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals
6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

I better not comment, I may get banned. :madranting94dp::45024:

[Faith]

Refresh the page each time you visit for updated information.

Weleetka slayings

http://www.newsok.com/more/articles/?rss=/rss/wslayings.xml?id=369322

[Faith]

:innocent0001: for the idiots.

[KittyMom]

Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals
6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

What a bunch of nuts!!! :madranting94dp:

[KittyMom]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/thursday/orl-usnews12_108jun12,0,5090185.story

Pair of guns found near girls' bodies, investigators say
June 12, 2008


This scares me. Only a confident killer would leave the murder weapons behind. I'd like to know if the serial #'s had been filed away and if any prints were found.

[Faith]

KM, that sounds like something a kid would do IMO. I hope they were able to get fingerprints.

[SavannahStar]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/thursday/orl-usnews12_108jun12,0,5090185.story

Pair of guns found near girls' bodies, investigators say
June 12, 2008


This scares me. Only a confident killer would leave the murder weapons behind. I'd like to know if the serial #'s had been filed away and if any prints were found.


I think some newspaper copy writer would an incorrect headline on that article.....I don't get that two guns were FOUND.

That's an Orlando newspaper too, that added the headline.....not a local paper.....

:confused:

[Grande]

Yellow Journalism at it's best.

[Faith]

June 12, 2008 Nancy Grace transcript.


Slain girl's grandma 'knew something was drastically wrong'

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/12/nancy.grace/index.html

[Faith]

Taylor and Skyla Tribute

http://respectance.com/Taylor_And_Skyla/memorial?gclid=CMHr0buq8ZMCFR6gnAodyy4PWg

[TeeOne]

Someone seriously needs to stop those idiots. Permanently. :45024:

I couldn't agree more:madranting94dp:

[Harmony]

Someone seriously needs to stop those idiots. Permanently. :45024:

DITTO :madranting94dp:

[LiveLaughLuv]

I couldn't agree more:madranting94dp:


COWARDS

I really hope they find these idiotic cowards. :madranting94dp:

[TigressPen]

Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals
6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100



Here's an updated article on this um, 'church'.... and other information.

Police: Protestors Never Show For First Of 2 Funerals
Investigators Probe New Witness Statement
POSTED: 4:13 pm CDT June 12, 2008
UPDATED: 11:55 am CDT June 13, 2008

DEWAR, Okla. -- Amid speculation that a Kansas church planned to protest the funerals of two girls killed in Okfuskee County, police in a small Oklahoma town set up barricades and warned mourners.

However, protestors from the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church were not present for the funeral of Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, which was held Friday morning at the Dewar First Baptist Church in Dewar, a small community east of Henryetta in Okmulgee County. The church had disseminated faxes threatening to protest the girls' funerals for "the sins of Oklahoma," according to a news report on the Web site for Oklahoma City radio station KOKC.

Dewar police issued a handout to mourners, making them aware of the possible protest and outlining the protestors' rights.

The Tulsa World reports that more than 500 people attended Taylor's funeral Friday morning. The service for Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

Witness Emerges In Case

Investigators look into a witness account that he saw the girls moments before their deaths. A state agent said a witness came forward and reported seeing the girls near the scene where they were shot to death on Sunday.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lead agent Ben Rosser said they tested the witness' story and believe him to be credible. During a Thursday news conference, Rosser said that the witness offered no names of people he might have seen in the area.

Rosser added that he would rather not say whether the witness offered descriptions of people in the area.

State authorities determined Wednesday that two guns were used to kill the girls Sunday along a county road in Okfuskee County, and an OSBI agent added that he believes they're looking for multiple gunmen. However, Rosser said Thursday that he's still open-minded about the possibility of one shooter.

He said tests determined that each girl was shot with both guns. However, Rosser again Thursday did not want to reveal what caliber bullet killed them. Authorities are still awaiting DNA samples to be returned by a state chemist.

Rosser said detectives still have no suspects in the girls' deaths but that investigators were back at the scene early Thursday. He said an aviation unit with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol was also helping to scour the scene for clues.

The reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of whoever killed the girls has climbed above $25,000, Rosser said. However, as of Thursday afternoon, he didn't have an exact dollar amount.

Tips Come In From Across Planet

During a Wednesday news conference in Okemah, Rosser said authorities have gotten tips and leads from people across the country. They even got information from a caller in Great Britain. Rosser said 10 agents are working full-time on the case and that two agents are gathering intelligence for background purposes.

Rosser said investigators have interviewed several people and that DNA is being gathered from the girls to match up against evidence from possible suspects. Among the worst-case scenarios investigators are considering are that the shooting was random, the girls stumbled upon something or were targeted. He said Wednesday that he believes the girls were killed where they were found along the road, not killed somewhere else and transported there.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to call either the OSBI hot line at 800-522-8017 or the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office at 918-623-1122.

The Okfuskee County Sheriff's Department said the girls had gone for a walk along a bridge during a sleepover. The grandfather of one of the girls went to get them and discovered the bodies, officials said.

"I can't describe coming up on it," Peter Placker said, sobbing uncontrollably as he recalled walking up to the scene, only about one-quarter mile from his house. "I done it once, and I can't do it again."

Meanwhile, relatives tried to make sense of the grisly killings in a community where some citizens still leave their keys in their cars and residents who live 10 miles apart still call themselves neighbors.

Skyla was a carefree adventurer, a girl who walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow.

Relatives said to know Taylor was to love her. She was the big-hearted girl who rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist, like on the TV shows, said Placker, who said he raised Taylor like she was his daughter even though he was her biological grandparent.

She was home-schooled until the family moved to Weleetka, located about 70 miles south of Tulsa.

"She was the best kid I've known," Placker said.

Accounts to help the families with burial expenses for the two girls have been established at the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka. To donate, call 405-786-2216.



http://www.koco.com/news/16589907/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_12pm&ts=T&tmi=okl_12pm_1_12000206132008

[Faith]

Timeline at a glance: What happened?
http://static.newsok.biz/sites/newsok/images/play/lg/j11welcrimemap.jpg

[Grande]

Fri June 13, 2008
Investigators widen search for killers of girls near Weleetka
By John David Sutter
Staff Writer

OKEMAH — Officials here appear to have widened their search for suspects in the brutal killings of two girls, ages 11 and 13.

Investigators have revealed little information and appear to have no suspects five days after the two girls were shot on a heavily-wooded dirt road near the rural town of Weleetka, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Ben Rosser said authorities "have not hit the wall or run out of leads, by any means."

Rosser did say his investigation is taking officials outside this part of east-central Oklahoma, to places such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Seminole. Tips have come in from neighboring states, he said.

Twelve people were working on the investigation in nearby Okemah this morning. At least 10 more officers have been spread out in the other locations, he said.

Rosser said the fact that the girls were shot in such a remote place leads him to believe any suspects would come from this area of east central Oklahoma, about 75 miles east of Oklahoma City. He also said the killer or killers may have ties to this part of the state.

Skyla Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, were shot in the head and chest Sunday night near Taylor's home, northeast of Weleetka. The girls apparently were taking a late afternoon walk when they were killed.

Funerals for both girls are being held today.

Rosser made a point of saying that investigators have not become desperate in their search, and may return to the crime scene on the dirt road today. Yesterday, officials made GPS maps of the site from helicopters.

"It's not out of desperation," he said. "I call it just being thorough."

Area residents have been locking their kids inside and watching their backs, fearing a killer is on the loose. Rosser would not answer questions about whether that situation makes him feel pressure to name a suspect soon.

Rosser spoke to the media from a command center in the Okfuskee County Courthouse. Black-and-white photocopies of evidence — a boot print in the dirt road, for instance — were taped to the wall. Most of the evidence was covered from public viewing. Rosser had drawn a map of the country road, and the bridge near where the girls were shot, on a marker board in the fourth-floor office. Investigators pecked on laptops.

Rosser said they were taking calls on leads. They've gotten 200 so far, he said, adding that the number is growing. The OSBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to a suspect in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

http://newsok.com/investigators-widen-search-for-killers-of-girls-near-weleetka/article/3256954/?tm=1213376041

[packy]

He said the killer or killers may have ties to this part of the state. Seems like they have some ideas of what goes on and who/what draws certain people to the area.

[TeeOne]

"Skyla was a carefree adventurer, a girl who walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow."

"Relatives said to know Taylor was to love her. She was the big-hearted girl who rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist, like on the TV shows, said Placker, who said he raised Taylor like she was his daughter even though he was her biological grandparent."

How many of us, as little girls shared these girl's dreams. They sound so sweet.....:1222423::1222423:

[TigressPen]

Another news conference is scheduled for 2PM Central --

http://www.koco.com will carry it live.

[TigressPen]

Looks like a suspect, or person of interest, sketch has been given to media!! YAY!!

A male possibly Indian with some caucasian around 35 years of age with long black hair worn in pig tail approximately 6ft tall
Drives a white ford or chevy single cab pick-up truck with Okla plates.

[CSOKC]

Single cab truck.

I believe she said that this man was seen standing outside of his truck, and he was parked in the middle of the road.

[TigressPen]

Single cab truck.

I believe she said that this man was seen standing outside of his truck, and he was parked in the middle of the road.



She said he parked on the road, but was kind of blocking the roadway.

[Grande]

Fri June 13, 2008
Investigators searching for person of interest
By John David Sutter
Staff Writer

OKEMAH — Officials say they are now searching for a man driving a white Ford or Chevy pickup with a black ponytail who may have information into the homicide deaths of two Weleetka girls.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said the man is wanted for questioning, but not necessarily a suspect.

"We just want to question this man," she said during a press conference this afternoon in Okemah. "Maybe he saw someone in the area. We don't know if this man is local, we presume that, but we don't know. We have several witnesses who saw the man and we have several witnesses who heard gunshots. Witnesses say he acted suspiciously, but we don't know what he was doing there."

Brown has described the man as American Indian, 6-feet-tall with brown eyes and a long black ponytail. Witnesses said the man was seen standing outside his truck on the county road where the girls were later found dead. Brown said witnesses told investigators that truck was blocking the road around the time of the shooting and the man was standing outside the truck. About six witnesses have given the same account, Brown said.

"This is absolutely solvable," said Jessica Brown. "We're going to 'em it's just a matter of time."

The new details in the case were disclosed as friends and family members attended the funeral for 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker at a Henryetta church. At the funeral, investigators entered the church and took the guest book. Services for Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13 were held this morning in Dewar.

The two girls were shot on a heavily-wooded dirt road near the rural town of Weleetka, OSBI Agent Ben Rosser said authorities "have not hit the wall or run out of leads, by any means."

Rosser did say his investigation is taking officials outside this part of east-central Oklahoma, to places such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Seminole. Tips have come in from neighboring states, he said.

Twelve people were working on the investigation in nearby Okemah this morning. At least 10 more officers have been spread out in the other locations, he said.

Rosser said the fact that the girls were shot in such a remote place leads him to believe any suspects would come from this area of east central Oklahoma, about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City. He also said the killer or killers may have ties to this part of the state.

Skyla Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, were shot in the head and chest Sunday night near Taylor's home, northeast of Weleetka. The girls apparently were taking a late afternoon walk when they were killed.

Rosser made a point of saying that investigators have not become desperate in their search, and may return to the crime scene on the dirt road today. Yesterday, officials made GPS maps of the site from helicopters.

"It's not out of desperation," he said. "I call it just being thorough."

Area residents have been locking their kids inside and watching their backs, fearing a killer is on the loose. Rosser would not answer questions about whether that situation makes him feel pressure to name a suspect soon.

Rosser spoke to the media from a command center in the Okfuskee County Courthouse. Black-and-white photocopies of evidence — a boot print in the dirt road, for instance — were taped to the wall. Most of the evidence was covered from public viewing. Rosser had drawn a map of the country road, and the bridge near where the girls were shot, on a marker board in the fourth-floor office. Investigators pecked on laptops.

Rosser said they were taking calls on leads. They've gotten 200 so far, he said, adding that the number is growing. The OSBI is offering a $30,000 reward for information that leads to a suspect in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call the OSBI hot line at (800) 522-8017.

http://newsok.com/investigators-searching-for-person-of-interest/article/3256954/?tm=1213384719

[Grande]

http://i31.tinypic.com/35crklw.jpg

Source: http://www.news9.com/

[awakening2lite]

That's powerful! 6 witnesses and a sketch!

Only a matter of time now

[awakening2lite]

He was driving in a white Ford or Chevrolet single cab pickup with chrome stripping and an Oklahoma license tag.

source: http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/662917.html

[LiveLaughLuv]

That's powerful! 6 witnesses and a sketch!

Only a matter of time now

Did they mention a second person, someone with him?

After all two guns were used. I'm hoping he hasn't left that state.

This is great news, hopefully they will make an arrest very soon!

[packy]

Glad they got that sketch and description out there.

[awakening2lite]

Did they mention a second person, someone with him?

After all two guns were used. I'm hoping he hasn't left that state.

This is great news, hopefully they will make an arrest very soon!

There was no mention of another person in the articles, just description of the one person in the sketch.

I wondered the same thing, maybe the report of two guns was wrong? I guess the killer could have had a gun in each hand?

[awakening2lite]

Officials announced Thursday afternoon they are looking for a "person of interest" in Sunday's shooting deaths of two girls.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says the man is about 35 years old, about 6 feet tall and American Indian with black hair.

He was driving a white Ford or Chevrolet pickup truck with Oklahoma plates.

The man was seen by witnesses in the road about the time 13-year old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker were killed.

Some witnesses have now come forward saying they saw this man, others are now saying they heard gunshots.

Witnesses told authorities the man looked suspicious.

This man is someone officials are looking to talk to, but the man is not considered a suspect at this time.

Anyone with information should contact OSBI, or the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office at 918-623-1122.

http://www.kjrh.com/media/news/4/4/9/449bbd89-c1b6-477e-affb-9c99f58d1ecb/Story.jpg

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/2viewgc/story.aspx?content_id=66bc8ecf-fed2-45a4-931b-c8619a46c3f7

[TeeOne]

Oh this is good news! God speed finding him.....

[packy]

There was no mention of another person in the articles, just description of the one person in the sketch.

I wondered the same thing, maybe the report of two guns was wrong? I guess the killer could have had a gun in each hand?

Could have emptied one and pulled out another. Still hard to believe that someone would do this.

[CSOKC]

Could have emptied one and pulled out another. Still hard to believe that someone would do this.
I hadn't thought of that, you could be right. It did say that each of the girls were shot with both guns.

[awakening2lite]

Could have emptied one and pulled out another. Still hard to believe that someone would do this.

I agree with CSOKE, very good suggestion, packy.

I can't believe anyone would do this either. He must be deranged.

[Pandabear]

I'm really glad they have the description of this guy out there. I pray that it leads the authorities to the killer.

My main concern is that this happened so close to I-40. If the person is from the area, I hope he/she stays in the area.

[KittyMom]

The man was seen by witnesses in the road about the time 13-year old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker were killed.


So, was he standing in the road or was he driving on the road?

[awakening2lite]

So, was he standing in the road or was he driving on the road?

Standing, Kitty, he is reported as standing in the road.

[Oceanblueeyes]

Well imo, this IS the man who brutally murdered these two precious girls.

It is police etiquette these days when they come out with a composite drawing that they label them a POI and convey that they only want to talk to them. Imo he is no witness. He is THE suspect. They don't put composite drawings out in the national media to put the entire country on notice to be on the lookout for a witness but they darn sure do when they are hunting for a suspect. Since the Richard Jewell debacle they never use "suspect" until a warrant has been obtained and always use POI.

I think he did all the shooting. He most likely used the revolver first, which holds six bullets, then he realized that he had only disabled them..... then it was quicker to grab another loaded weapon than reload the revolver.

When he was seen in the middle of the road outside of his truck I think he was laying in wait already, knowing the girls were coming. They said that he acted suspiciously. He probably quickly hid the gun he already had in his hand.

I now think that most likely he had approached the girls, maybe at the bridge, wanting to pick them up, making advances toward them, offering to take them home and they absolutely ignored him and got further away from him by walking on the shoulder of the road and ditch area and looked straight ahead as they walked as if he didn't exist.

When he felt rejected is when he decided he would show them what happens to people that do.

God bless these entire families who's lives have been so shattered by this senseless loss of innocence and goodness.

JMO tho...........

[TeeOne]

Not only in this case, but in others, I've wondered why they won't call the most obvious person a suspect, now it makes sense. I totally agree with your line of thinking.
Geez, what are the chances that he's even still in the area though, not too good I'd bet.

[annalyzer]

In a town as small as this I wonder why this man wasn't spotted sooner.

[TeeOne]

In a town as small as this I wonder why this man wasn't spotted sooner.

American Indian is the majority in that area, maybe that's why. Or maybe he ditched his truck, cut his hair.:0009:

[Oceanblueeyes]

American Indian is the majority in that area, maybe that's why. Or maybe he ditched his truck, cut his hair.:0009:

I think he immediately left the area, Tee.

I remember the police said earlier that there were some people they wanted to interview but they weren't in the area at that time.

It makes me wonder if they already thought the killer had left the area.

[annalyzer]

American Indian is the majority in that area, maybe that's why. Or maybe he ditched his truck, cut his hair.:0009:

Where I live he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

[Oceanblueeyes]

Where I live he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

I think I read today that in that county or it may be that area of OK, 39% are Native Americans.

imoo

[TeeOne]

I think I read today that in that county or it may be that area of OK, 39% are Native Americans.

imoo

My dil that lives in Muskogee is part Indian. When I told her the POI was American Indian, she laughed and said "almost everyone is."

I'll bet he left the area as fast as he could too.

[lost indie]

The Westboro Baptist church is planning on protesting the girl's funerals..

:madranting94dp:

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

ETA...I visited the westboro site and did not see anything about it...

they are busy protesting the dead boy scouts....

[TigressPen]

The Westboro Baptist church is planning on protesting the girl's funerals..

:madranting94dp:

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

ETA...I visited the westboro site and did not see anything about it...

they are busy protesting the dead boy scouts....



I don't appreciate this Westboro group using baptist beliefs in such a dishonorable way. That isn't what the baptist is about. These two little girls were brutally murdered by the evil ways of one or more persons that rates no higher than slime. And I pray LE finds the person(s) who did it.


:1222423:

[LiveLaughLuv]

The Westboro Baptist church is planning on protesting the girl's funerals..

:madranting94dp:

http://www.kokcradio.com/localnews/channels/Story.aspx?ID=1012100

ETA...I visited the westboro site and did not see anything about it...

they are busy protesting the dead boy scouts....


Westboro Church May Protest at Girls' Funerals

6/13/2008

(Topeka, KS) -- The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, infamous for protesting at soldiers funeral across the country are planning to protest at one or both of the funerals for the girls shot to death near Weleetka. A church member says the girls were killed because of the sins of Oklahoma. Services for 13 year old Taylor Placker will be at 10am in Dewar and 11 year old Skyla Whitaker will be remembered beginning at 2pm in Henrietta.

They must be crazy!


I don't appreciate this Westboro group using baptist beliefs in such a dishonorable way. That isn't what the baptist is about. These two little girls were brutally murdered by the evil ways of one or more persons that rates no higher than slime. And I pray LE finds the person(s) who did it.

ITA, Tigress. Very well put!

Those girls didn't die due to the sins of Oklahoma! I just dont' get some folks. The parents should be told and the police should be told. If they show up they need to be escorted away from that funeral, if they don't leave, they should be arrested.

How shameful.

[Faith]

I don't appreciate this Westboro group using baptist beliefs in such a dishonorable way. That isn't what the baptist is about. These two little girls were brutally murdered by the evil ways of one or more persons that rates no higher than slime. And I pray LE finds the person(s) who did it.


:1222423:


I agree with you. This group sounds more like the devil's work.

[lost indie]

They must be crazy!




ITA, Tigress. Very well put!

Those girls didn't die due to the sins of Oklahoma! I just dont' get some folks. The parents should be told and the police should be told. If they show up they need to be escorted away from that funeral, if they don't leave, they should be arrested.

How shameful.

And...what exactly are the sins of Oklahoma?

[Faith]

And...what exactly are the sins of Oklahoma?

This group. :girl_haha:

[LiveLaughLuv]

this Group. :girl_haha:

:67302:

[TigressPen]

And...what exactly are the sins of Oklahoma?


That's the old 64 thousand dollars question that is on special for 24 thou. lol :girl_haha: I have no earthly idea.

[TeeOne]

s--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fri June 13, 2008
Investigators widen search for killers of girls near Weleetka
By John David Sutter
Staff Writer

OKEMAH — Officials here appear to have widened their search for suspects in the brutal killings of two girls, ages 11 and 13.

Investigators have revealed little information and appear to have no suspects five days after the two girls were shot on a heavily-wooded dirt road near the rural town of Weleetka, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Ben Rosser said authorities "have not hit the wall or run out of leads, by any means."

Rosser did say his investigation is taking officials outside this part of east-central Oklahoma, to places such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Seminole. Tips have come in from neighboring states, he said.

Twelve people were working on the investigation in nearby Okemah this morning. At least 10 more officers have been spread out in the other locations, he said.

Rosser said the fact that the girls were shot in such a remote place leads him to believe any suspects would come from this area of east central Oklahoma, about 75 miles east of Oklahoma City. He also said the killer or killers may have ties to this part of the state.

Skyla Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, were shot in the head and chest Sunday night near Taylor's home, northeast of Weleetka. The girls apparently were taking a late afternoon walk when they were killed.

Funerals for both girls are being held today.


The funerals were on Friday....or so the article says.:0009:

[Faith]

Weleetka slayings: Services held

Last Modified: 6/14/2008 4:36 AM

Two girls' lives celebrated


HENRYETTA — Families and friends who came together Friday for the funerals of two girls who were slain Sunday near Weleetka reflected on two young lives lost and the promises they held.

At the First Baptist Church in nearby Dewar, the Rev. Ron King of Stigler noted that what happened to 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker was tragic, but he reminded mourners that "we're here to celebrate her life."

"She's still alive right now," said King, a family friend whose own life was touched by tragedy with the death of his own 15-year-old daughter in a car accident.

King said Taylor is now witnessing many wonderful things "maybe she is dancing with the Lord or is bowed down in awe."

King noted that Taylor had dreamed of becoming a forensic scientist and was kind to all animals.

He urged more than 500 people at the church to remember her life by going out and continuing her good deeds — "to celebrate her life the way she lived it."

"Don't let this end as a tragedy," he said. "Something good will come out of all of this.

"We have to believe that. We have to believe that."

At the Westlawn Cemetery
in Henryetta, mourners gathered around Taylor's white steel casket and offered more prayers.

Then there was a release of dozens of purple, helium-filled balloons, and relatives and friends watched as they disappeared into the gray northern sky.

Among the mourners were classmates at the Graham school where Taylor and her best friend, 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker, were on the honor roll.

Skyla and Taylor did everything together, and Sunday afternoon, along County Line Road northeast of Weleetka, the two were gunned down a short distance from Taylor's home.

A few hours after services for Taylor, more than 400 mourners packed the First Baptist Church in Henryetta to pay their last respects to Skyla.

The Rev. Jim Paslay, standing behind Skyla's dark oak coffin, told mourners he was conducting evening services last Sunday when news of the killings began to spread.

"We tried not to believe it," he said.

Paslay remembered the last time he saw Skyla. It was two weeks ago, after church camp, and he noted how happy, how overjoyed she was at the experience.

Looking at her classmates in the church, Paslay told the youngsters, many of them sobbing, that the best "thing you can do for your friend is to live your dreams."

He noted that the killings have attracted the nation's attention, and prayer support has been pouring in from across the country.

Paslay said the killings have left the community "frustrated and angry," but "let's not wait for another senseless tragedy to bring us together.

"Let's show the world we can come together," he said.

"We can be bitter or better."

One of Skyla's sisters, Rosita Gordon of Tulsa, recalled for mourners the kid sister she knew — "my Skyla."

Gordon said Skyla loved her family, she loved life and she loved her cats, "13 of them."

She said her sister always wanted to be "anywhere and everywhere," and that she loved to wear high heels — "the higher the better."

Skyla loved to ride her bicycle, go for walks, play video games, and "she loved the rain," her sister said.

Gordon said there will never be justice in her life for the loss of "my Skyla."

She spoke of the many wonderful things her sister would never experience because her life was cut short at such a young age.

"But I know God has a plan," she said.

Gordon reflected on last Sunday's tragedy and noted that Skyla "was doing what she loved, and she was doing it with her best friend."

As mourners filed out of the church after Skyla's funeral, a light rain began to fall.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080614_12_A1_hWELEE507028

http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2008/20080614_girlsfuneral0614p2.jpg

http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2008/20080614_girlsfuneral0614p3.jpg

[SavannahStar]

Oh that made me cry. Thank you so much, Faith.

:1222423:

[TeeOne]

For Skyla:1222423:
So many touching things said about her in the article. For her family:1222423:

[LiveLaughLuv]

:1187603408.CR.Mothe


:1222423: :1222423:

[Oceanblueeyes]

This group. :girl_haha:

You sure have that right!:girl_haha:

[bambam]

wow. i just read this thread and i'm totally stunned. i had not even heard about this on the news. this is the most bizarre and senseless killing i've ever heard of. we hear about many senseless killings, i know.... but two young, innocent girls out on a walk close to home????? it's mind-boggling. i pray that whoever did this is caught....does OK have the DP???? this is one that deserves it!! :(

[Faith]

wow. i just read this thread and i'm totally stunned. i had not even heard about this on the news. this is the most bizarre and senseless killing i've ever heard of. we hear about many senseless killings, i know.... but two young, innocent girls out on a walk close to home????? it's mind-boggling. i pray that whoever did this is caught....does OK have the DP???? this is one that deserves it!! :(

Yes, Oklahoma has executed a total of 79 people since 1976.

http://www.deadlinethemovie.com/state/OK/index.php

I think in some cases an eye for an eye would be more justice.

[Faith]

Death Penalty Information

The current death penalty law was enacted in 1977 by the Oklahoma Legislature. The method to carry out the execution is by lethal injection. The original death penalty law in Oklahoma called for executions to be carried out by electrocution. In 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the death penalty as it was then administered.

Oklahoma has executed a total of 166 men and 3 women between 1915 and 2007 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Eighty-two were executed by electrocution, one by hanging (a federal prisoner) and 86 by lethal injection. The last execution by electrocution took place in 1966. The first execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma occurred on September 10, 1990, when Charles Troy Coleman, convicted in 1979 of Murder 1st Degree in Muskogee County was executed.
Execution Process

Method of Execution: Lethal Injection

Drugs used:
Sodium Thiopental - causes unconsciousness
Vecuronium Bromide - stops respiration
Potassium Chloride - stops heart

Two intravenous lines are inserted, one in each arm. The drugs are injected by hand held syringes simultaneously into the two intravenous lines. The sequence is in the order that the drugs are listed above. Three executioners are utilized, with each one injecting one of the drugs.

http://www.doc.state.ok.us/offenders/deathrow.htm

[Faith]

A reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers has grown more than $30,000, and investigators remained optimistic

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/photoessay_4194_images/0611080853_M_061008_girls5.jpg

[awakening2lite]

This case is just heartbreaking.

I can't help but wonder who could have done this, and why.

[KittyMom]

As young as these girls are, if they saw a crime being committed under that bridge, I doubt they were mature enough to realize it was a crime. This guy could'e just left they alone.

Hopefully, someone who knows this man will turn him in.

[bambam]

:attention:


tonight AMW will feature this story (with others) as the search for this killer continues. man!!!! i hope they find him/them SOON!!!!!! :madranting94dp:

[TeeOne]

:attention:


tonight AMW will feature this story (with others) as the search for this killer continues. man!!!! i hope they find him/them SOON!!!!!! :madranting94dp:


Oh that's great news that these girls story will be on AMW, that's some great coverage. The more ppl looking for someone suspicious, all the better. I wonder if they will show the composite sketch of the man posted upthread...I hope so.

Oh man, I just remembered...my cable is still OUT. Hum, I'll have to go to sil's house again....lol The comcast guy is coming out tomorrow.

[Faith]

Great News!!!! ty ty....

[animallady]

I watched AMW tonight and was a little disappointed in the lack of depth to their story, and really can't see any tips coming from it.

:girl_sad:

[Oceanblueeyes]

I watched AMW tonight and was a little disappointed in the lack of depth to their story, and really can't see any tips coming from it.

:girl_sad:

I was astounded. They really did nothing to advance the case imo. The main urgent thing, I would think, would be making sure the composite sketch is out to the public at large. They didn't even show it.

Do they know something that we don't?

imoo

[annalyzer]

I was astounded. They really did nothing to advance the case imo. The main urgent thing, I would think, would be making sure the composite sketch is out to the public at large. They didn't even show it.

Do they know something that we don't?

imoo

They didn't show the sketch? :shock:

Are you the same oceanblueeyes that posted back on the ctv boards?

[KittyMom]

I was astounded. They really did nothing to advance the case imo. The main urgent thing, I would think, would be making sure the composite sketch is out to the public at large. They didn't even show it.

Do they know something that we don't?

imoo

AMW didn't show the sketch? Is John on vacation??? Someone's not doing their job.

[Grande]

All of the Native American's on MySpace aged 30-40 within 50 miles of Weleetka; (426 count)

http://browseusers.myspace.com/Browse/browse.aspx?MyToken=633490754509867218

All of the Native American's on MySpace aged 30-40 within 100 miles of Weleetka; (1566 count)

http://browseusers.myspace.com/Browse/browse.aspx?MyToken=633490754933471355

[Grande]

If you get the "Unexpected Error" message, close the window and click the link again. It may take a few tries as MySpace is experiencing tech. difficulties with their Db.

[KittyMom]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367061,00.html

Brown says the OSBI would like to clarify that the man in the sketch had a long ponytail that stretched to the small of his back.

"We're getting a lot of phone calls where it turns out the guy has a short ponytail or only shoulder length," Brown said.

[Grande]

Damien's Interests

"...general mayhem destruction a bit of a pyro and making a mess of my life in an unsafe but completely reversible way other than that just the general crap you know haning out shooting pool shooting guns terrorizing comformist and making extreme religouis folks uncomfortable with my existence"

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=43420579

[TigressPen]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367061,00.html

Shorter than reported or not, if he drives a white pick-up, I'd look closely at him anyway!!

[TigressPen]

Damien's Interests

"...general mayhem destruction a bit of a pyro and making a mess of my life in an unsafe but completely reversible way other than that just the general crap you know haning out shooting pool shooting guns terrorizing comformist and making extreme religouis folks uncomfortable with my existence"

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=43420579



pyro, general mayhem -Not exactly a profile I'd want to brag about. :madranting94dp:

[TeeOne]

Man, I was hoping they'd atleast show the composite sketch. And, I would have thought that would have been the feature story.
(I get my cable fixed today - finally).

[KittyMom]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367061,00.html

Some individuals reported hearing the gunshots, which have helped investigators "nail down a timeline" for when the murders occurred, Brown told FOXNews.com.

[Pandabear]

JACK CHOATE, OKFUSKEE COUNTY SHERIFF: There is no just reason for that whatsoever.

KENNEDY: On Sunday afternoon, 13-year-old Taylor Paschal Placker was playing with her best friend, 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker, on the very road near Placker's house in the small town of Willika (ph). Police say Taylor's grandfather came outside to tell them to come in when he discovered their bodies.

SPECIAL AGENT BEN ROSSER, OSBI: He walked north of the house. He got 200 to 300 yards north of the house and he found the girls on the side of the road. Both girls had been shot multiple times. Both girls were dead at the scene.

This has just been eating at me since I first read it last week. The girls didn't make it to the bridge. They were shot just down the road from the grandparent's house. If the man in the white truck was the killer, he had to have known they were very close to the house. That is unless he came from the north and saw the girls before he saw the house. It sounds like LE has found a spot in the road where the vehicle turned around so they must know which direction it headed. I'd love to know more about that aspect of this case.

The time line is so short, just minutes from when they left the house and when they were found. I keep thinking that if they had been a little slower, or if they had just not walked down that road. This is so very sad and I pray that their killer is found.

:1222423: for you sweethearts.

[Grande]

<Snipped>

"FYI if you go to oscn.net click on search dockets
then search "all oklahoma counties" scroll down to section 3 and type in "last name Placker" and "first name Joe" it pulls up all of the court cases for Joe Placker Jr and Joe Placker. If you click on the hyperlinked name you can find DOB,Address and prev address.

theres criminal felony convictions 1995 for shooting with intent to kill...for Placker jr
Comanche & Cleveland Counties and 21 records in Oklahoma County. "

Source: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/weleetka-ok/TOJFJV92HAR4RS395/p24 (post 497)

[Grande]

http://i32.tinypic.com/2nqr6mx.jpg

Source: http://newsok.com/article/3098530?pg=2

[Grande]

<Snipped>

The Bandidos are involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, contract murder, fencing, extortion, stealing and running weapons, welfare and bank fraud, and arson. The bikers make most of their money manufacturing and selling methamphetamine. Club members and associates who are pilots smuggle drugs and guns across the border and state lines.

A NOMAD chapter takes care of Bandido security,counterintelligence and internal discipline. The chapter is made up of charter members who have been with the club for more than 5 years. The elite group does not live in one area, although many of its members gravitate to Lubbock, Texas. The chapter compiles files on police forces and outlaw motorcycle gangs they-consider enemies.

The Bandidos' alliance with the Outlaws began in 1978 in an effort to expand their drug network. The Outlaws provide the Bandidos with cocaine that they get from Colombian and Cuban suppliers. Both clubs socialize in Bandidos controlled towns. They also own a nightclub together in Oklahoma City. The clubs consider themselves sister organizations and wear each other's tatoos.

http://www.segag.org/mcgangs/bandido.html

[Grande]

http://i27.tinypic.com/i513th.jpg

[Grande]

Taylor's family moved here to get her away from the violence in Oklahoma City, according to her uncle, Joe Mosher.

Source: http://wtop.com/?sid=1418857&nid=104

[Grande]

STATE OF OKLAHOMA EX REL VS PLACKER JOE RICHARD JR

Issue: Case Filing: CIVIL PATERNITY - STATE (D.H.S.) (PAT)
Filed by:
Filed Date: 02/18/1999

PATERNITY ORDER & SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS

http://www.oscn.net/applications/ocisweb/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=792025&db=Oklahoma

[Grande]

IN RE: The Marriage of DAVIS ANN MARIE and PLACKER,JR JOE RICHARD

MARRIAGE LICENSE ISSUED

http://www.oscn.net/applications/ocisweb/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=963589&db=Oklahoma

[Grande]

ANN M PLACKER/MINORS,
Plaintiff,
v.
JOE RICHARD JR PLACKER,
Defendant.

PLACKER, JOE RICHARD JR , Defendant
PLACKER/MINORS, ANN M , Plaintiff

05-29-2002 PO - 37363276 May 29 2002 1:01:47:393PM - $ 0.00
PROTECTIVE ORDER

http://www.oscn.net/applications/ocisweb/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=1526283&db=Oklahoma

[Grande]

Criminal Misdemeanor files against Joseph Placker Jr. JUNE 10, 2008

06-12-2008 - PLACKER, JOE RICHARD JR 54380067 Jun 13 2008 10:49:02:560AM Realized $ 50.00
WARRANT OF ARREST ISSUED, JUDGE: RUSSELL HALL - BOND AMOUNT: $2,000.00


http://www.oscn.net/applications/ocisweb/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=2308432&db=Oklahoma

[awakening2lite]

It's starting to make sense now why the grandfather had immediate concern about them when they were only a few minutes late returning.

This case is turning in a very hard direction.

Thanks Grande for the additional information. Very scary.

[TeeOne]

It's starting to make sense now why the grandfather had immediate concern about them when they were only a few minutes late returning.

This case is turning in a very hard direction.

Thanks Grande for the additional information. Very scary.

I don't even want to be thinking what I'm thinking:mad:

[Grande]

Taylor's family moved here to get her away from the violence in Oklahoma City, according to her uncle, Joe Mosher.

Source: http://wtop.com/?sid=1418857&nid=104

Joe R Jr & Ann M Placker
street address not available
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 602-XXXX

[awakening2lite]

Joe R Jr & Ann M Placker
street address not available
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 602-XXXX

Hi Grande,
I know you are way ahead of me on this, but if you haven't already done so, I hope you will forward your finding to the authorities.

[Grande]

Hi Grande,
I know you are way ahead of me on this, but if you haven't already done so, I hope you will forward your finding to the authorities.

I certainly will.

[Claudia]

I agree with A2L. I think you may really be on to something.

Dang, I missed you & your exceptional researching abilities. :love0085:

[Grande]

Count # 1.
Party Name:
PLACKER, JOE RICHARD JR
Disposition Information:
Disposed: CONVICTION, 07/24/1996. Guilty Plea.
Count as Disposed:SHOOTING W/INTENT TO KILL IN CONCERT W/RICHARD MCCOMB *** REDCD TO DIST THE PEACE *** (SWIK)
Violation of 21 O.S. 652

[Grande]

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:7nsK9ZYrMn8J:www.genealogyforum.com/messages/genbbs.cgi/Irish/10590+%22linda+placker%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

[Grande]

Taylor Paschal-Placker
Skyla Whitaker
Joe Mosher - Taylor Paschal-Placker's uncle
Jack Choate - Okfuskee County Sheriff
Peter Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandfather
Vicky Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandmother
Jessica Placker - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Chris Placker - Taylor's Brother - Sallisaw, OK
Jennifer Paschal - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Linda Placker - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Joseph Richard Placker Jr. - Taylor's Father?
Ann Placker - Taylor's Mother?
Claudia Farrow - Skyla Whitaker's grandmother
Bill Chambers - Lives near the murder scene
Rose Whitaker - Skyla's mother

[awakening2lite]

That's quite a line up, Grande.

I hope you'll post if/when you hear a response from LE.

[Grande]

That's quite a line up, Grande.

I hope you'll post if/when you hear a response from LE.

Absolutely.

[KittyMom]

Taylor Paschal-Placker
Skyla Whitaker
Joe Mosher - Taylor Paschal-Placker's uncle
Jack Choate - Okfuskee County Sheriff
Peter Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandfather
Vicky Placker - Taylor Paschal-Placker's grandmother
Jessica Placker - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Chris Placker - Taylor's Brother - Sallisaw, OK
Jennifer Paschal - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Linda Placker - Taylor's Sister - Weleetka, OK
Joseph Richard Placker Jr. - Taylor's Father?
Ann Placker - Taylor's Mother?
Claudia Farrow - Skyla Whitaker's grandmother
Bill Chambers - Lives near the murder scene
Rose Whitaker - Skyla's mother

If Joe Richard Placker, Jr is Taylor's father, wouldn't Joe Richard Placker Sr be her grandfather's name? So, would Peter Placker be her paternal grandfather or maybe great-grandfather?

[KittyMom]

peoplesearch...

Placker, Peter
age 48
relatives...Vicky
previous towns...Oklahoma City, OK
Vian, OK

Could that age possibly be correct?

[Faith]

PLACKER, PETER 1959-09-00 PO BOX 1237 VIAN, OK 74962 N/A
Title of Respect Find Out More! First Name PETER
Last Name PLACKER Primary Address PO BOX 1237
City VIAN State OK
ZIP Code 74962

PLACKER, PETER N/A N/A WELEETKA, OK 74880 (405) 786-xxxx

City WELEETKA State OK

Phone Number (405) 786-xxxx


PLACKER, PETER N/A 340 SE 43RD ST OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73129-3036 (405) 634-3346
First Name PETER Last Name PLACKER
Primary Address 340 SE 43RD ST City OKLAHOMA CITY
State OK ZIP Code 73129-3036
Phone Number (405) 634-xxxx

[Faith]

This says Ann's Birthday is in 1971.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/ann-1.jpg

[Faith]

Joseph??

Joe R Sr Placker

home

2100 SW 65th St

Oklahoma City, OK 73159-2922

(405) 681-xxxx

[Harmony]

Is this the same Joe Placker?

Charges on Joe Placker:

http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/casesearch.asp?query=true&srch=0&web=true&db=all&icasetype=&iDATEL=&iDATEH=&iCLOSEDL=&iCLOSEDH=&number=&iLast=Placker&iFirst=Joe&iMiddle=&iID=&iDOBL=&iDOBH=&SearchType=0&iDCPT=&iDCType=0&iYear=&iNumber=&icitation=

photo of Joe Placker Jr,:

http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/servlet/page?_pageid=394&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&doc_num=530544&offender_book_id=315025