Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #1

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That wouldn't surprise me a bit. :( They "went for a walk", why?? Why did they walk the road, why not the field(s) they liked to play in.
The grandfather said Taylor had walked the road daily for a year for exercise and this was her regular routine.
 
I just want to point out that Mark Furman said that I-40 was listed as a major drug route not that Weleetka area is a known drug area. I-40 stretches all the way across the country, from California to North Carolina, so it's not surprising that it is a route for drugs. He also said that Weleetka hasn't had a murder since 1985.

I do agree at this point with your "drugged out loser from school" theory. I just don't see how gang members from other towns would know about or seek out this locally-popular bridge on a dirt road. Too risky.
I guess I missed him saying it was I-40. However, that isn't far either. I don't know that they would neccessarily seek out the hang out bridge, but they might have met someone local on that road to make a drug deal. It isn't far from Tulsa to make a run on up. Backroads in Oklahoma will take you just about anywhere you want to go. Most are County line roads and you can travel all day crossing main highways only occassionally. I don't think it is risky at all.
 
That wouldn't surprise me a bit. :( They "went for a walk", why?? Why did they walk the road, why not the field(s) they liked to play in.

For some reason, I don't get the guilty vibe from the grandfather -- and I'm usually a huge family suspecter. Also, if the grandfather was out killing them a quarter of a mile away, he couldn't have gotten the call from Skylar's mother about coming to pick them up. He didn't have a cell phone -- he used one of the girls' cell phone to call the police after he found them. Also, he seems genuinely devastated.

I do wonder why Taylor's grandparents were her guardians.
 
For some reason, I don't get the guilty vibe from the grandfather -- and I'm usually a huge family suspecter. Also, if the grandfather was out killing them a quarter of a mile away, he couldn't have gotten the call from Skylar's mother about coming to pick them up. He didn't have a cell phone -- he used one of the girls' cell phone to call the police after he found them. Also, he seems genuinely devastated.

I do wonder why Taylor's grandparents were her guardians.

Is meth a big problem around there?

If walking the road really was Taylor's daily routine, that could spell planning and premeditation.
 
considering how small the community is & statistically murderers are known to their victims, like many others, i wanted to know more about the grandfather. today i feel badly for having had suspicions about mr placker. that poor man came upon a horrific scene that will haunt him forever. sounds like he & mrs placker are good, hard-working country people who were raising their grandchild as their own daughter. chances are they have dealt with heartbreak before. and the whittaker's were salt of the earth folks as well.

sheriff choate knew his small force needed help & immediately called in the other agencies. having put ego aside, he had the help he needed to go over the scene before the storm washed away potential evidence. i admire the guy... seems like an andy griffith & mayberry setting, where really bad things rarely happen. now that ofuskee county has lost its innocence, the big cannons are there & clearly leading the investigation. i am hoping there was a good reason for the presser to have revealed nothing not already reported... like giving suspects a false sense of security.

did i read one of the girl's had gotten another kid in trouble for drugs or something a while back? my 2nd choice for perp was a kid with problems or showing off could have done this. but as of tonight, i'm placing my bet on a drug or theft ring connection. somebody meeting on a country road for an exchange that these little girls innocently walked into. so sad & such a pity! tonight my prayers are for the whole community.


i caught a bit of nancy (dis)grace & wanted to reach into the tv & strangle her..... she should have quashed the discussion about how shoe & tire imprints are used as evidence.... i bet right now, somebody's sneakers are roasing on the bar-b-que!
for someone with a perfect prosecution record that georgia peach talked too much tonight. da-yum!
 
It was very brutal. They were shot in the face and chest according to one of the articles I read.

If it is accurate that they were shot in the face then that, to me, would eliminate close friends/family,,,,typically when you kill a "loved one" you don't go for the face at all, even to make sure they're dead. When killing a "loved one" the murderer usually kills from behind only.

My first impression is that these girls stumbled on a drug transaction and the perps freaked so badly that they went into overkill mode which makes me think the perps were probably high and also not new to the drug trade/lifestyle.
 
I guess I missed him saying it was I-40. However, that isn't far either. I don't know that they would neccessarily seek out the hang out bridge, but they might have met someone local on that road to make a drug deal. It isn't far from Tulsa to make a run on up. Backroads in Oklahoma will take you just about anywhere you want to go.

I don't think the road the girls were found on connects to either I-40 or 75. It's a dirt road out in the woods and characterized in one article as a few miles from both of the highways. Now, I'm not saying I don't think there weren't drugs going on as a motive. There could easily be a drug connection between Weleetka and Tulsa.
 
Is meth a big problem around there?

If walking the road really was Taylor's daily routine, that could spell planning and premeditation.
Yes. Meth is a HUGE problem in our rural areas in particular. They were getting a handle on it until they pulled funding last year. We have strict guidelines about selling products to individuals which can be used to make Meth now. All cold meds are only sold behind the counter and one package at a time etc. Some you even have to sign for with proper Identification.

Her grandfather said that she never went at the same time. It could be at anytime during the day.
 
Yes. Meth is a HUGE problem in our rural areas in particular. They were getting a handle on it until they pulled funding last year.

Her grandfather said that she never went at the same time. It could be at anytime during the day.


That would be my guess as to why the grandparents had guardianship, then.
 
I thought the grandparents moved into that area after they got Taylor. I know that the Uncle of Skyla said her parents moved from OKC to get away from the crime. :(
 
You just reminded me of the Groene case. So many were sure it was related to meth but as it turned out, it had nothing to do with it.

That's true, this does remind me of how it felt at the beginning of the Groene case. It seemed only logical to question the associates of the parents and their lifestyle and so out there to suppose that some evil person would go out of their way to senselessly murder unknown people in an isolated area. I was so surprised it turned out that the perp was a complete stranger.
 
I would have to assume they are looking hard at Taylor's real parents (if they are still alive) and their associates. The other possibility exists that someone had dealings with them and this is a revenge killing.
 
"overkill" is what i meant by placker coming upon a horrific scene. & he took the cell off one of the bodies to call for help.

look at the area on google earth.... travelling north from town on hwy 75 you turn east onto a dirt road..... I-40 intersects about 1 1/2 miles farther up the highway....it's not high resolution but you can see the road.

living in rural areas where neighbors are a mile or more away, riding bikes or walking to the bridge a half mile or more away is just playing in their own backyard. i know that's difficult for people who grew up in other areas to grasp but 11 & 13 year old are considered old enough to explore like that in some places.
 
I wonder if this could have been a failed abduction by someone who was known to the girls. If they had walked 1/4 mile, that takes only about 10 minutes, so there was a time frame for someone to try something. The cell phone could have rang or something happened to scare off the abductor. If it was someone known to the girls, he/they could have known that this is a regular area where Taylor walked and could have known there was a sleepover. Hope they also check internet activity the girls might have had since they are at the age that molesters might try something.
 
The uncle said that both families were quite poor. I am doubting the girls had internet service or computers. However, I am sure they are checking the phone.
 
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