Lauren Barnes, 20 [REMAINS DISCOVERED] [ERIC PHAN CHARGED] Bethany, OKlahoma

[Grande]

Police: Missing Bethany Woman Might Have Sent Text Message

POSTED: 6:01 pm CST November 26, 2007
UPDATED: 2:27 pm CST November 27, 2007

BETHANY, Okla. -- Bethany police said that finding a missing pregnant woman is their No. 1 priority, adding that she might have sent a text message hours after she was last seen.

Lauren Barnes, 20, was last seen on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when she told her mother she was going out with a friend. Barnes was not reported missing by her mother until Saturday.

Police said that Barnes went to Eldon Lyon Park to speak with a man about whether he might be the father of her unborn child. Barnes' car was found at the park on Sunday.

Investigators said Barnes did not have her checkbook, and as far as anybody knows, her debit card has not been used. However, police said that they are investigating whether Barnes sent a text message at about 8:40 p.m. on Friday, about an hour after she was last seen.

Police said Barnes takes a prescription blood thinner to help with clotting problems, and she does not have them with her.

Anybody with information on this case should call 911.

http://www.koco.com/news/14698289/detail.html

[Grande]

Woman's body found near Lake Overholser

Associated Press - November 27, 2007 3:35 PM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma City police say the body of a woman found near Lake Overholser is not that of a missing and pregnant Bethany woman.

Sergeant Paco Balderrama says the woman's body was found shortly before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday by a youth group holding a prayer service at the lake.

He says the cause of death hasn't been determined but it is being treated as a homicide.

The body was found a few miles from a park where the car of missing 20-year-old Lauren Barnes was found Sunday but Balderrama says they body is not Barnes.

He says the body has not been identified but is a 45- to 55-year-old woman.

Barnes is five months pregnant and was last seen Friday after telling her family she was going to meet a friend.

http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7416030

[Pauli]

Police Continue Search for Lauren Barnes, 20-Year-Old Pregnant Woman from Oklahoma


Atlanta, Ga. 11/27/2007 03:37 PM GMT (FINDITT)

A 20-year-old pregnant woman from Bethany, Oklahoma has been reported as missing by her mother and concern has grown since police found her car on Sunday.

Lauren Barnes told her mother that she was going to see a friend around 7:30 p.m. Friday, that was the last time she was seen. Her mother reported her missing on Saturday.

According to police, the car being driven by Barnes was located at Eldon Lyon Park in Bethany. Barnes’s mother told police that her daughter uses a prescription blood thinner to help with clotting and she did not have the medication with her when she left on Friday night.

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=29033&cat=14

[Pauli]

http://www.foxnews.com/images/326455/3_61_barnes_lauren.jpg (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,313101,00.html#) KOCO.com

Lauren Barnes

Authorities have found the car of a pregnant Oklahoma woman missing since Friday night, NewsOK.com reports.
Lauren Barnes, 20, who is five months pregnant and requires daily medication, was reported missing by her parents on Saturday after failing to meet friends Friday night in Bethany, Okla., the site reports.
[/URL]
Police found her locked car at a park on Sunday afternoon and her father told NewsOK.com that he suspects foul play.
Barnes did not show up for work Monday at an Oklahoma City apartment complex, where she is employed as a housekeeper, according to NewsOK.com.
Barnes takes prescription blood thinner to help with blood clotting, KOCO.com reported.
(http://newsok.com/article/3173977/1196162925)
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call Bethany, Okla., police at 405-789-2323.
[URL]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,313101,00.html

[Pauli]

Lauren's mom speaks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKe963s_bro&feature=user (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKe963s_bro&feature=user)

[Grande]

Pregnant Woman Missing After Park Date
Two 'Persons of Interest' in Friday Night Disappearance of Lauren Barnes, 20

By DAVID SCHOETZ
Nov. 28, 2007


An organized search was launched this morning for a pregnant Oklahoma City woman whose car was discovered earlier this week in a nearby city, but authorities say they have little idea where she might have gone after disappearing last week.

Lauren Barnes, 20, was last seen Friday evening when she told family and friends she was going to a Bethany, Okla., park to meet the father of her baby.

No one has heard from her since.

Barnes' mother reported her missing Saturday, and on Sunday police found her locked car at the park, which appeared to be left voluntarily. The vehicle was impounded and investigated, but there was no sign of struggle.

"It appears she got out of the car, locked the car up and left," Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman told ABC News. "But we don't know who she got in the car with."

Troutman confirmed that the man believed to be the father of Barnes' child -- who has not been identified -- is a "person of interest" in the case. So far, the man has been cooperative with authorities.

"We're talking to him on a daily basis," Troutman said. "He hasn't taken off yet."

There is a second person of interest, Troutman said, who may have been exchanging text messages with Barnes the night she disappeared. Police would like to speak to him, but "we're having trouble locating and talking to him," Troutman said.

Barnes, who is five months pregnant, was not carrying her checkbook, and her debit card has not been used since her disappearance.

"Our main concern is that this is just completely out of her realm," Troutman said, explaining that Barnes' family had recently finished a home nursery for the woman's child.

Kathy McDaniel, Barnes' mother, told KOCO in Oklahoma City that she does not believe her daughter went on her own.

"Her cell phone is not turned on, she has her medicine at home upstairs and she doesn't have her car," McDaniel said, adding that it's hard to think about her daughter during the day, but even harder at night.

"It starts getting cold and I wonder if she's somewhere that she needs me," McDaniel said.

Troutman cited recent investigations for missing women that have attracted national attention and said that he hoped elevating the profile of Barnes' case may bring some closure more quickly.

"Several of these incidents have gone awry all over the country," he said. "It's sad, and we're just hoping good things come out of it."

On Tuesday, a church prayer group in Oklahoma City found the body of a woman at a local lake. The discovery drew Bethany authorities investigating Barnes' disappearance to the scene, but the body was quickly determined to be a woman between the ages of 45 and 55.

Police in Oklahoma City are investigating that case as a homicide.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3921923&page=1

[Grande]

Search for missing woman called offRelated Information

BETHANY -- A ground search for a missing pregnant woman was called off by Bethany police about 12:30 p.m. today after more than 300 people combed more than 1,000 acres without finding any trace of the woman.

Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman said volunteers and law officers gathered at Bethany City Hall about 8 a.m. before dispersing into groups. One group searched the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge near NW 50 and Council Road and another circled Lake Overholser. Law officers with scent-sniffing dogs and others failed to turn up any clues concerning the whereabouts of Laura Barnes, 20.

Troutman said police will continue their investigative side of the case; however, no tips have been received since family members reported the woman missing Friday night.

"We're not getting any calls. I felt like it was time to search and get some personnel out here. I was in awe of the turnout," Troutman said.

"We'll now get back to the investigative side of it."

Russell Nowland of Oklahoma City, a family friend of the missing woman, joined the search and spent the morning looking in duck blinds, drainage canals and other brushy areas.

"This is unexpected; it's unfortunate, and you don't want anyone to have to go through this or suffer," Nowland said.

Nowland, an engineer at Alcatel-Lucent Technologies, took a vacation day to help in the search effort.

http://newsok.com/article/3174528/1196275292

[Pauli]

Search for missing woman called off

By Robert Medley
Staff Writer
http://static.newsok.biz/sites/newsok/images/play/tn/n28barnesin.jpg
Lauren Barnes

BETHANY -- A ground search for a missing pregnant woman was called off by Bethany police about 12:30 p.m. today after more than 300 people combed more than 1,000 acres without finding any trace of the woman.

Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman said volunteers and law officers gathered at Bethany City Hall about 8 a.m. before dispersing into groups. One group searched the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge near NW 50 and Council Road and another circled Lake Overholser. Law officers with scent-sniffing dogs and others failed to turn up any clues concerning the whereabouts of Lauren Barnes, 20.

Troutman said police will continue their investigative side of the case; however, no tips have been received since family members reported the woman missing Friday night.

"We're not getting any calls. I felt like it was time to search and get some personnel out here. I was in awe of the turnout," Troutman said.
"We'll now get back to the investigative side of it."

Russell Nowland of Oklahoma City, a family friend of the missing woman, joined the search and spent the morning looking in duck blinds, drainage canals and other brushy areas.

"This is unexpected; it's unfortunate, and you don't want anyone to have to go through this or suffer," Nowland said.

Nowland, an engineer at Alcatel-Lucent Technologies, took a vacation day to help in the search effort.

http://newsok.com/article/3174528/1196277206

[Pauli]

Man Suspected Of Killing Bethany Woman Turns Self In


POSTED: 6:01 pm CST November 26, 2007
UPDATED: 8:03 pm CST November 28, 2007

BETHANY, Okla. -- A 20-year-old college student suspected in the disappearance of a missing pregnant Bethany woman has turned himself in, authorities said.

A first-degree murder warrant was issued for Eric Phan, 20, a student at Southern Nazarene University, according to Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman. Police said they believe Phan killed Lauren Barnes, 20, who has been missing since Friday.

Police said they believe Phan and Barnes met at a local park to discuss the possibility that Phan might be the father of Barnes' unborn child.
Troutman said they found spent bullet shells in a car belonging to Phan.

Hope had faded on Wednesday in the search for Barnes, as the city's police chief called off a search and acknowledged that officers are looking for a body.

Officers and 100 to 200 volunteers started searching for Barnes at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge early Wednesday. By 1 p.m., Troutman thanked everybody who helped and said it was time for his detectives to track down people of interest.

Troutman told Eyewitness News 5's Adam Slinger that officers and volunteers searching the area should be prepared to find a body.

Barnes was last seen on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when she told her mother she was going out with a friend. Barnes was not reported missing by her mother until Saturday.

Police said that Barnes went to Eldon Lyon Park to speak with a man about whether he might be the father of her unborn child. Barnes' car was found at the park on Sunday.

Investigators said Barnes did not have her checkbook, and as far as anybody knows, her debit card has not been used. However, police said that they are investigating whether Barnes sent a text message at about 8:40 p.m. on Friday, about an hour after she was last seen.

Police said Barnes takes a prescription blood thinner to help with clotting problems, and she does not have it with her.

Anybody with information on this case should call 911.

http://www.koco.com/news/14698289/detail.html

[Pauli]

Police Looking For SNU Student In Woman's Disappearance
BETHANY, Okla. -- Police have identified a 20-year-old college student as a suspect in the disappearance of a missing pregnant Bethany woman.

A first-degree murder warrant has been issued for Eric Phan, 20, a student at Southern Nazarene University, according to Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman. Police said they believe Phan killed Lauren Barnes, 20, who has been missing since Friday.

Police said they believe Phan and Barnes met at a local park to discuss the possibility that Phan might be the father of Barnes' unborn child.

Phan drives a two-door black Honda with an Oklahoma license plate number 999-XSU. Troutman told Eyewitness News 5 that Phan should be considered dangerous because, police said, he is believed to be distraught and depressed.

Troutman said they found spent bullet shells in another car belonging to Phan.

Hope had faded on Wednesday in the search for Barnes, as the city's police chief called off a search and acknowledged that officers are looking for a body.

Officers and 100 to 200 volunteers started searching for Barnes at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge early Wednesday. By 1 p.m., Troutman thanked everybody who helped and said it was time for his detectives to track down people of interest.

Troutman told Eyewitness News 5's Adam Slinger that officers and volunteers searching the area should be prepared to find a body.

Barnes was last seen on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when she told her mother she was going out with a friend. Barnes was not reported missing by her mother until Saturday.

Police said that Barnes went to Eldon Lyon Park to speak with a man about whether he might be the father of her unborn child. Barnes' car was found at the park on Sunday.

Investigators said Barnes did not have her checkbook, and as far as anybody knows, her debit card has not been used. However, police said that they are investigating whether Barnes sent a text message at about 8:40 p.m. on Friday, about an hour after she was last seen.

Police said Barnes takes a prescription blood thinner to help with clotting problems, and she does not have it with her.

Anybody with information on this case should call 911.

http://www.koco.com/news/14698289/d..._06470311282007 (http://www.koco.com/news/14698289/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_06470311282007)

[Pauli]

Boyfriend Charged in Pregnant Woman's Slaying
Cops Hope Eric Phan Will Lead Them to the Body of Lauren Barnes, 20
http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_phan_barnes_071129_ms.jpg
Eric Phan, a 20-year-old college student from Oklahoma City, Okla., will be arraigned on a first degree murder charge in the death of his girlfriend, Lauren Barnes, also 20. Police hope that Phan will guide them to Barnes' body, which has not yet been recovered.

Police in Oklahoma hope that a man arrested in the murder of a pregnant woman who may have been carrying his child will help lead authorities to her body.

Eric Phan, a 20-year-old college student from Oklahoma City, was arrested without incident on a first-degree murder charge at his attorney's office Wednesday evening.

Phan will be arraigned on a charge that he killed his five-month pregnant girlfriend Lauren Barnes, also 20. Family members say Barnes was last seen Friday before she was to meet Phan at a park in Bethany. Barnes' mother reported her daughter missing Saturday and on Sunday authorities discovered her car locked and abandoned at the park. There was no sign of a struggle.

"What we're doing now, we're in a holding pattern," Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman told ABC News. "He has been communicating with his legal counsel and we're hoping they will be able to talk to us today and hopefully lead us to Lauren."

Phan previously had been identified as one of two persons of interest in Barnes' disappearance. Focus turned to Phan after investigators ruled out the second person after interviewing him.
"We went out and spoke to the No. 2 suspect," Troutman said. "We did several interviews with him and verified the fact that he was not the guy."

Attention shifted soley to Phan, whom police had spoken to on a daily basis, according to Troutman. Phan told police that he went to the park in Bethany Friday night, but left without seeing the woman. Phan also said that he does not believe he's the father of the baby, Troutman said.

"We continued to come up with evidence that led us to believe our suspect was responsible for the victim's death," Troutman said.

An organized search in Bethany Wednesday that drew 300 people was called off after a few hours without discovery of Barnes' body as the investigation shifted from a missing person case to a homicide.

Since Barnes' disappearance, her family and friends have repeatedly said that they did not believe she disappeared voluntarily. She was not carrying her checkbook and her debit card had not been used. A nursery for her unborn baby was being prepared at her house.

"Her cell phone is not turned on, she has her medicine at home upstairs and she doesn't have her car," Kathy McDaniel, Barnes' mother, told KOCO in Oklahoma City.

A woman who answered the phone at Phan's home told ABC News, "We have no comment."

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3930647&page=1

[Pauli]

Police will resume search on Friday morning

By Robert Medley
BETHANY — Authorities received a tip Thursday that the body of a missing pregnant woman may have been spotted in a northwest Oklahoma City park

Bethany and Oklahoma City police officers searched Thursday night in an area north of NW 50 and Stinchcomb Avenue in the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge. They were looking for Lauren Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20, who has been missing since Friday night.

“We have not found Lauren or a body, yet,” Bethany Police (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Bethany+Police+Department&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION) Chief Neal Troutman said.

The search was stopped because of darkness and investigators didn’t want to trample possible evidence, Troutman said. The search will resume at 8 a.m. Friday.
Troutman said investigators think Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) is dead.

Detectives met this afternoon with the suspect in the disappearance of Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) and the suspect's attorney at police headquarters, Troutman said.

Eric K. Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20, of Oklahoma City was arrested Wednesday at attorney Albert Hoch (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Albert+Hoch&CATEGORY=PERSON)'s office. He is being held on a first-degree murder complaint in connection with the disappearance of Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), Troutman said.

Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) could be moved to the Oklahoma County (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+County&CATEGORY=COUNTY) jail soon, Troutman said.

Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), who was five months pregnant, was reported missing by her family after she failed to return from a Friday night meeting with Phan at Eldon Lyon Park, 7500 NW 36, Troutman said.

On Wednesday 300 people searched about 1,000 acres near Lake Overholser (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lake+Overholser&CATEGORY=BODIES OF WATER) without finding any trace of the woman. The search was called off about 12:30 p.m.

“People saw the magnitude of the search and were passionate about this,” Troutman said. “That's when people started calling and we got some hot tips and hot leads. The tips started developing.”

By 6 p.m. police had obtained an arrest warrant for Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON). About 7 p.m. an anonymous caller told police Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) was at his attorney's office in Oklahoma City, Troutman said. Police went to the office and Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) agreed to surrender, Troutman said.

Family members told police Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) planned to meet Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) on Friday to talk about her pregnancy. She thought Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) was the father of her child, but Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) denied he was the father, Troutman said. Barnes (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)' car was found at the park. Phan (http://www.newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) told police he went to the park but did not see her there and he left.

http://www.newsok.com/article/3175234/

[Grande]

Police find body of missing pregnant woman

By KEN MILLER

Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Police have recovered the body of a pregnant woman who was killed and buried in a shallow grave at a wildlife refuge in far northwest Oklahoma City.

The body of Lauren Barnes, 20, of Bethany, was found about 10:30 a.m. Friday in the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge. She disappeared on Nov. 23 after telling her family she was going to a park to talk to Eric Phan, whom she described as the father of her unborn child.

Phan, 20, has been jailed on a first-degree murder complaint.

His attorney, Al Hoch, declined to discuss the case until he receives a report from investigators.

"I assume they will have a report compiled and given to the DA's office in two weeks or so. Until we see the report, we can't comment on anything," Hoch said Friday evening.

Police and hundreds of volunteers have been searching fields and woods in the area all week, looking for any sign of her.

Bethany Police Chief Neal Troutman said his department received a tip Thursday night on where the body could be found.

"The tip that we had led us to the exact location," he said. "Due to the fact the body wasn't visible, we started digging.

"The body was buried about 3 feet deep and disguised with debris and brush. If you didn't know it was there you wouldn't have found it."

Troutman said he does not know who provided the tip that led to the discovery and there were no obvious signs of how she died.

"There wasn't any visible trauma, it looked like she was just buried there," he said.

The refuge is about 2 miles from Eldon Lyon Park in Bethany where Barnes, who was five months pregnant, had told her family she was going to talk with Phan.

Troutman said it is not known where Barnes was killed nor how long her body was buried in the refuge.

"We hope the medical examiner can shed some light on that and on how she was killed," he said.

It is possible that a second murder complaint could be filed against Phan in connection with the death of Barnes' unborn child, Troutman said.

http://www.hdnews.net/wirestories/k1100_BC_OK_MissingWoman_11_30_0364

:1222423:

[Pauli]

Her ‘legacy will continue'

y Micah Gamino
Staff WriterBETHANY — Friends and family members of a pregnant woman whose body was found Friday gathered at a local park Sunday night to "celebrate her life” with prayers, memorable stories and tears.

"Look at how many people are here to celebrate this great woman's life and that little baby's life,” said Richard Meier (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Richard+Meier&CATEGORY=PERSON) during a prayer vigil at Eldon Lyon Park, NW 36 and Rockwell, held Sunday night for Lauren Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20, and her unborn child, Avery.

Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)' car was found a week earlier at the park, where it is believed she took her last steps. Her body was found Friday at a local wildlife refuge.
"Look at how many souls were affected,” Meier (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Richard+Meier&CATEGORY=PERSON) said to the crowd that overflowed out every open door of the small pavilion where the gathering was held. "Look at how many hearts were touched by Lauren.”

Meier (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Richard+Meier&CATEGORY=PERSON), who planned to be Avery's godfather, and Fashion Burch were among the speakers during the hour-long vigil, which also included a poem by Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)' high school friend, Angel Combs (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Angel+Combs&CATEGORY=PERSON), 21, and the singing of "His Eye is on the Sparrow,” by Cody Zogg (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Cody+Zogg&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20.

"People remember her silliness, her happiness, her being the down-to-earth person that she was,” Burch, 20, said of her friend.

Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)' father, Jeff, fought back tears at several moments during the ceremony to ask people in the crowd to share their stories, saying, "If anyone here has anything to say, we want to hear it. It will help.”

After one such plea, someone in the crowd yelled, "She (Lauren Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)) always had a smile on her face.”

"That was short, but it was so true,” Meier (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Richard+Meier&CATEGORY=PERSON) said in response.
After about 30 minutes of sharing memories from the crowd, Jeff Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) struggled to reflect on the last time he saw his daughter.

"The last time I saw her ... she waved goodbye to me for about five minutes,” he said as he imitated his daughter's wave with a loose flapping of his arm, "and I rolled down my window and waved back,” he added before his words drowned in tears.

In a closing statement, Meier (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Richard+Meier&CATEGORY=PERSON) said with a smile, "Lauren's memory, Lauren herself and Lauren's legacy will continue to live within us.”

http://newsok.com/article/3176497/1196681514

[Pauli]

Pregnant woman text messaged sister before slaying

Staff Writer Lauren Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) was afraid Nov. 23 as she waited in a Bethany park to meet with the father of her unborn baby, according to a police affidavit filed in Oklahoma County (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+County&CATEGORY=COUNTY) District Court.

Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) sent a text message to her sister as she waited for Eric Kennedy Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), the affidavit states. She said she was afraid Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) would "blow up" because she had told his girlfriend about her pregnancy.

Her last message, sent at 8:34 p.m., according to the affidavit filed late Friday, was the last time the 20-year-old's family heard from her.

Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON)' body was discovered Friday morning in a shallow grave at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Preserve.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), who has been arrested on a murder complaint in her death, lives just north of there, according to police.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20, told Bethany police Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) was not at Eldon Lyon Park when he showed up to meet her there, Sgt. Sharon Cadle (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Sharon+Cadle&CATEGORY=PERSON) wrote in her affidavit.
He later confessed to his best friend, admitting he had choked Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) and thought he broke her neck, the affidavit states.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) said he dumped her body at the wildlife preserve, the friend told police.
Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) was arrested Nov. 28 at his attorney's office. Charges have not been filed.

http://newsok.com/article/3176530/1196697662

[Pauli]

Final words of a slain mom-to-be


By Jay F. Marks
Staff Writer
Lauren Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) was nervous about her Nov. 23 meeting with Eric Kennedy Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), the man she thought was the father of her unborn baby.

She said as much in text messages sent to her 15-year-old sister as Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) waited at Eldon Lyon Park in Bethany, according to court papers.

Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) told her sister she was afraid Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) would "blow up” because she had told his girlfriend about the baby, Bethany police Sgt. Sharon Cadle (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Sharon+Cadle&CATEGORY=PERSON) wrote in an affidavit filed Friday in Oklahoma County (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+County&CATEGORY=COUNTY) District Court.

"Oh God, I think he just pulled up,” she typed out in her last message at 8:34 p.m., the affidavit states.

The 20-year-old mother-to-be was not seen again until a week later, when authorities found her body in a shallow grave at Oklahoma City's Stinchcomb Wildlife Preserve.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), 20, had been arrested two days earlier after Bethany police learned he confessed to a friend that he had killed Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), Cadle's affidavit states.
Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) said he choked Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), the friend told investigators, and the medical examiner's office confirmed Monday she died of asphyxiation.

Excited about motherhood
Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) was excited about becoming a mother, family and friends said. She and her father had turned her room into a nursery, and she was working as a housekeeper at an Oklahoma City apartment complex so she could provide for her baby. Her father, Jeff Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON), said she didn't want anything to do with Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON). He said Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON), whom he has never met, "cajoled” his daughter into meeting him at the park to discuss the baby.

She was too polite to tell him no, her father said.

Lauren Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) had told Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) she was pregnant with his baby in July, according to Cadle's affidavit. He wanted proof.

Rather than wait for a paternity test after her baby was born, Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) told Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON)'s girlfriend that she was pregnant with his child, the affidavit states.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) arranged the meeting with Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) for Nov. 23, when his girlfriend was out of town, Cadle wrote.

After Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Lauren+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) was reported missing by her family, Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) initially denied he had gone to the park, the affidavit states. He later claimed he had been there, but didn't see Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON).

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) told police he went to work after he left the park, but he was evasive in providing details about his job and the hours he worked, Cadle wrote.

A break in the case
While police and volunteers were searching the wildlife preserve on Nov. 27, a man who identified himself as Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON)'s best friend approached Bethany police with details of a conversation with his friend the night before, police said. He said Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) admitted he had met Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) at the park, the affidavit states. Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) told his friend he choked Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) and the last thing she said to him was she would get an abortion, Cadle wrote. The friend said Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) said he thought he had broken her neck.

The state medical examiner's office confirmed Monday that Barnes (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jeff+Barnes&CATEGORY=PERSON) died of asphyxiation.

Her unborn baby was 22 weeks to 26 weeks old. Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON) could face two murder counts.

No criminal charges have been filed against him.

Phan (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Eric+Kennedy+Phan&CATEGORY=PERSON)'s attorney, Al Hoch (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Al+Hoch&CATEGORY=PERSON), did not return a call seeking comments on the case.
http:/ (http://newsok.com/article/keyword/3176863/)/newsok.com/article/keyword/3176863/ (http://newsok.com/article/keyword/3176863/)

[Grande]

STATE OF OKLAHOMA,
Plaintiff,
v.

ERIC KENNEDY PHAN,
Defendant.

Attorney
Hoch, Albert J.(Bar # 11862)
803 Robert S. Kerr Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Count # 1.
Count as Filed: HM11, MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE , in violation of 21 O.S. 701.7
Date Of Offense: 11/23/2007
Disposition Information:
Pending.

Count # 2.
Count as Filed: HM11, MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE , in violation of 21 O.S. 701.7
Date Of Offense: 11/23/2007
Pending.

07-16-2008 CTPASS - PHAN, ERIC KENNEDY 54690004 Jul 18 2008 2:39:34:653PM - $ 0.00
WATSON: CASE SET FOR PLEA 08-21-08,10AM; IF NO PLEA ENTERED CASE TO BE REMANDED; COURT REPORTER TARA NIXON

[Faith]

BREAKING NEWS: Eric Phan Pleads Guilty To Murder

Phan Pleads Guilty To Killing Bethany Woman, Unborn Child


OKLAHOMA CITY -- Eric Phan has pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Lauren Barnes and her unborn child, prosecutors said.

VIDEO: http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/video.gifEric Phan Pleads Guilty To Murders (http://www.koco.com/video/17254717/index.html)

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 17. Phan faces either life in prison or life in prison without parole.

http://www.koco.com/news/17254452/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_11160208212008

[Faith]

Eric Kennedy Phan has pleaded guilty to killing Lauren Barnes, 20, and her unborn child in northwest Oklahoma City in 2007. He faces either life in prison or life in prison without parole.


http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/video.gifHearing Set In Killing Of Pregnant Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17254452/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_11160208212008#)

[Faith]

Phan Sentenced To 2 Life Terms With No Parole

Man Killed Lauren Barnes, Unborn Baby

POSTED: 5:26 pm CDT October 17, 2008
UPDATED: 5:51 pm CDT October 17, 2008

VIDEO:

http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifFamily Reacts To Eric Phan's Guilty Plea (http://www.koco.com/video/17259425/index.html)

http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifEric Phan Pleads Guilty To Murders (http://www.koco.com/video/17254717/index.html)


http://www.koco.com/2007/1203/14754510_240X180.jpg

BETHANY, Okla. -- The man who killed a pregnant Bethany woman has been sentenced to two life terms with no chance of parole.

Eric Kennedy Phan pleaded guilty in August to two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Lauren Barnes and her unborn child, prosecutors said.

The Oklahoma state medical examiner said Barnes, 20, was asphyxiated, and Phan told a friend that he choked her to death. Barnes was found dead in Nov. 2007 at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge after a weeklong search.

According to an affidavit released last year by Oklahoma County District Court officials, Phan's best friend -- David Huynh -- told investigators that Phan told him that he choked Barnes and that "the last thing she said to him was that she would get an abortion."

Huynh told authorities that Phan told him that he thought he broke her neck. The affidavit stated that Phan started crying and told Huynh that he dumped Barnes at Stinchcomb.

Her friends called Barnes happy and fun-loving, but they said that more than anything else, she was looking forward to becoming a mother. Barnes was five months pregnant.

"She was excited. She was ready. She would have been a great mother," said Vanessa Ghiassi.

"She was happy to be pregnant -- very happy. Every time she talked about it, she'd glow -- every time," said Fashion Burch. "If she was still around, she'd be like, 'Wow, people care about me that much.'"

"Lauren was the light of everyone else's party. She was always funny, always laughing," said Sheli Lemieux, Barnes' aunt.

http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008

[Faith]

Lauren Barnes Tragedy
Eric Kennedy Phan has pleaded guilty to killing Lauren Barnes, 20, and her unborn child in northwest Oklahoma City in 2007. He was sentenced to two life terms without parole.


http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifHearing Set In Killing Of Pregnant Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifFuneral Held For Slain Bethany Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
Read Eric Phan's Arrest Affidavit (http://www.koco.com/download/2007/1204/14771040.pdf)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifCommunity Gathers To Remember Lauren Barnes (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBarnes Cause Of Death Revealed (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifSlain Woman's Candlelight Vigil (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifOrganizers Ready for Slain Woman's Vigil (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifEric Phan's Friend Talks (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifNightmare Becomes Reality For Barnes' Family (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPolice Find Body Of Lauren Barnes (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifDetectives Search For Lauren Barnes' Body (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPolice Set Up Crime Scene Near Refuge (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifSNU Campus Reacts To Student's Arrest (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPhan Sits Behind Bars (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifInvestigators Find New Details In Missing Woman Case (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBethany Homicide Suspect Turns Self In (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBethany Police News Conference (Uncut) (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifSearch For Missing Woman Called Off (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBethany Chief Thankful For Volunteers (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifVolunteers Help Search For Missing Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPolice Will Search for Missing Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBethany Police Chief Follows Up On Leads (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifMother Of Missing Woman Speaks Out (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifBarnes' Family Gathers Where Body Found (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPolice: Finding Lauren Barnes No. 1 Priority (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)
http://www.koco.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifPolice Search For Missing Bethany Woman (http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008#)

http://www.koco.com/news/17748050/detail.html?treets=okl&tml=okl_break&ts=T&tmi=okl_break_1_05590210172008

[Lolina]

Again, it seems the most dangerous people for pregnant women are the men who impregnate them... Brings to mind Lacy Peterson and all the excited, expectant mothers whose babies died with them.

Having been a single mother myself at one point, I remember the fear I felt that the baby's father would one day lose control and take it upon himself to abort that little child he did not want. I am SO grateful for my beautiful son and for the gift of life. It is horrifying to read the following:

According to an affidavit released last year by Oklahoma County District Court officials, Phan's best friend -- David Huynh -- told investigators that Phan told him that he choked Barnes and that "the last thing she said to him was that she would get an abortion."

She knew what he wanted-- the death of that little life within her. Poor, sweet girl.

My heart and prayers go out to Lauren's family.