At this point in time, when do you think suspect(s) will be named & charges brought?

[Boots-OK]

Hmmm...well, this is the latest on DD. Appears he got probation and a suspended sentence on the burglary charge. Now what, I wonder?

http://www1.odcr.com/detail.php?Case=056-CF 0800160&County=056-

 

[Claycat]

Hmmm...well, this is the latest on DD. Appears he got probation and a suspended sentence on the burglary charge. Now what, I wonder?

http://www1.odcr.com/detail.php?Case=056-CF 0800160&County=056-

This is not good! OSBI had better keep him under watch 24/7!

 

[Claycat]

Sorry, Kforkathy! I wasn't referring to your post when I said "This is not good!", but it sure looks like I was, doesn't it? LOL! I figured since you and Boots had posted so close together that you had missed her post. I can see why you thought I was talking to you, though! Oops!

 

[k4kathy]

Sorry, Kforkathy! I wasn't referring to your post when I said "This is not good!", but it sure looks like I was, doesn't it? LOL! I figured since you and Boots had posted so close together that you had missed her post. I can see why you thought I was talking to you, though! Oops!

LOL! You are exactly right!!!

 

[evelyn24]

I truly believe they have a very good idea who did this but not enough probable cause and/or evidence. They are trying to work on the consciences of those who may be involved or know something (hence the billboard and reward posters in every public place). I don't think LE will get what they need very soon, and I am hesitant to say that by 6-8-09 they will have suspect(s) in custody. I hope I am wrong.

Cheers!
KP

I agree. I think they have a good idea who did it as well, because nobody is talking, and there isn't enough evidence to charge anyone.

 

[SailorMoon]

And someone is getting away with murder which makes me just ill.

 

[Albert18]

Put yourself in the shoes of the investigators. If you knew or thought you knew who had committed this crime, would you be handling this case the way it has been handled?

Aren't they doing nothing now except relying on the luck of a phone call?

 

[XPA Magnet]

Put yourself in the shoes of the investigators. If you knew or thought you knew who had committed this crime, would you be handling this case the way it has been handled?

Aren't they doing nothing now except relying on the luck of a phone call?

Not only nothing now but apparently nothing since September. Nothing to soothe the families. Nothing to calm the locals' fears. Their refusal to doggedly pursue this case seems to say that the girls, their families, and their friends and neighbors just aren't worth it anymore.

Put ourselves in their shoes? A great question. Handle it the same way? No. What would I do? Who cares - I'm not a cop. A little more sensitivity to the families, however, might be in order. At least a word or two. Some reassurance to the community, maybe, unless...

...they just flat out don't know who did it. Contrary to the optimism that permeates this forum, I don't think they're even close. Worse, they refuse to budge. Other than the DNA they claimed to have, that second gun is probably the key. From the ballistics, they probably know a lot about it, and it's not a common piece. It was probably destroyed months ago; they'll never find it (or the Glock). If they reveal what they know to the locals, someone might tell them who used to have one. A little piece of circumstantial evidence is better than nothing.

By now, the "alleged" POI, if there was one, got a haircut, disposed of the truck, and is laying so low among his people that he'll never be found (nor turned in, either). The young boys who left town immediately after, never to be seen or heard from again...what happened to that lead? How about the neighbor around the corner, with his well-documented past that may fit the profile, except his age - but who knows? Has he been cleared? How about the five who were paraded in front of the cameras on their way to the GJ? You remember, the five rocket scientists who withstood the heat and gave up nothing. Is it really true that one of them comes from a family that gets away with all kinds of things in that area?

Again, I'm not LE, but if I were in their shoes and had a suspect or two, and all that manpower at my disposal? Maybe 24-hour surveillance and all the legal harassment I could muster. How about seek a wiretap and/or search warrant? LE never went the search warrant route, did they? That's a very bad omen. On the other hand, if there were no suspects, maybe I'd eventually give up and go home without calling attention to the failure, then wait for the phone call that's not coming, but I think I'd have the common courtesy to explain things to the families before slipping out of town. What a dismal PR move.

They're not close. This won't be solved at this rate, with these tactics. The bold reporter who corners one of the OSBI and aims a camera at them next June will be told that they gave it all they had and asked the public to come forward but the information they needed was not forthcoming. The reporter will buy it, and that will be the end of the story. Until the next Walk.

 

[GetSmart]

Again, I'm not LE, but if I were in their shoes and had a suspect or two, and all that manpower at my disposal? Maybe 24-hour surveillance and all the legal harassment I could muster. How about seek a wiretap and/or search warrant? LE never went the search warrant route, did they? That's a very bad omen. On the other hand, if there were no suspects, maybe I'd eventually give up and go home without calling attention to the failure, then wait for the phone call that's not coming, but I think I'd have the common courtesy to explain things to the families before slipping out of town. What a dismal PR move.

Well spoken XPA..

 

[Boots-OK]

Not only nothing now but apparently nothing since September. Nothing to soothe the families. Nothing to calm the locals' fears. Their refusal to doggedly pursue this case seems to say that the girls, their families, and their friends and neighbors just aren't worth it anymore.
Put ourselves in their shoes? A great question. Handle it the same way? No. What would I do? Who cares - I'm not a cop. A little more sensitivity to the families, however, might be in order. At least a word or two. Some reassurance to the community, maybe, unless...

...they just flat out don't know who did it. Contrary to the optimism that permeates this forum, I don't think they're even close. Worse, they refuse to budge. Other than the DNA they claimed to have, that second gun is probably the key. From the ballistics, they probably know a lot about it, and it's not a common piece. It was probably destroyed months ago; they'll never find it (or the Glock). If they reveal what they know to the locals, someone might tell them who used to have one. A little piece of circumstantial evidence is better than nothing.
By now, the "alleged" POI, if there was one, got a haircut, disposed of the truck, and is laying so low among his people that he'll never be found (nor turned in, either). The young boys who left town immediately after, never to be seen or heard from again...what happened to that lead? How about the neighbor around the corner, with his well-documented past that may fit the profile, except his age - but who knows? Has he been cleared? How about the five who were paraded in front of the cameras on their way to the GJ? You remember, the five rocket scientists who withstood the heat and gave up nothing. Is it really true that one of them comes from a family that gets away with all kinds of things in that area?

Again, I'm not LE, but if I were in their shoes and had a suspect or two, and all that manpower at my disposal? Maybe 24-hour surveillance and all the legal harassment I could muster. How about seek a wiretap and/or search warrant? LE never went the search warrant route, did they? That's a very bad omen. On the other hand, if there were no suspects, maybe I'd eventually give up and go home without calling attention to the failure, then wait for the phone call that's not coming, but I think I'd have the common courtesy to explain things to the families before slipping out of town. What a dismal PR move.
They're not close. This won't be solved at this rate, with these tactics. The bold reporter who corners one of the OSBI and aims a camera at them next June will be told that they gave it all they had and asked the public to come forward but the information they needed was not forthcoming. The reporter will buy it, and that will be the end of the story. Until the next Walk.

Good post, XPA...I've bolded several of your comments that I find disturbing also. I am one who has been optimistic that this case will be solved - however, the closer we get to the first anniversary with no news from LE - the more difficult it is to remain hopeful.

Regardless, I am determined to continue asking questions, writing emails and letters, and keeping a promise to VP that I and we will never forget the girls and we will not give up the pursuit of justice for them and their families.

 

[XPA Magnet]

Good post, XPA...I've bolded several of your comments that I find disturbing also. I am one who has been optimistic that this case will be solved - however, the closer we get to the first anniversary with no news from LE - the more difficult it is to remain hopeful.

Regardless, I am determined to continue asking questions, writing emails and letters, and keeping a promise to VP that I and we will never forget the girls and we will not give up the pursuit of justice for them and their families.

That's so encouraging that you and the others feel like you do; even more so that you acted on your feelings and reached out to the girls and their families. It was very touching.

Like you, I've been writing emails, for about a month now, to local papers, national media, even the Washington Post. You have to believe someone with some clout will start asking the tough questions that have been passed back and forth here for a while. Hopefully, that would spur OSBI back into action; if not OSBI, then perhaps a branch of LE which still cares about Taylor and Skyla.

To stay on topic, early in the investigation this became so clear: something was very wrong here. As the months passed by, and the posts here remained so optimistic, I felt like a traitor to the common cause here when it dawned on me: OSBI is not solving the case. That is so obvious. By refusing to alter their game plan, they will not solve it in the future, either. You don't need a degree in LE or investigative experience to know that when you are doing something that is just not working, you have to try something else.

It is going on eight months now. Same game plan. Same no results. I presume the same no communication with the families. How insensitive! After an intensive initial effort, OSBI has essentially thumbed their noses at the world and closed up shop, not having to explain their glaring failure to anyone. No one is pressing them to answer: Why did you not do everything in your power to solve this case? Even after it became apparent that your tactics were not working, why did you refuse to change them? Why did no one in your organization have the common courtesy to speak to the families before you quit on them?

OSBI documented their files before they slammed them shut. They didn't catch the killer(s), but they have scapegoats: people who did not come forward with information. Back on topic: OSBI has not solved the case; they clung mightily to a plan that did not work and refuse to try another; ergo, OSBI is refusing to solve the case.

 

[wfgodot]

Having only recently begun to post and having attempted an exhaustive review of information here and elsewhere in the last several days, and thus having very little claim to having a firm grasp of the facts of the matter, I do, with those caveats, conclude XPA Magnet is probably correct---unless, that is, a key suspect, and I cannot say who that could be, is currently incarcerated, and OSBI is building a case which it will then file before that suspect can be released. Right now, that looks like a best-case scenario, and a tenuous one, at best.

 

[XPA Magnet]

Having only recently begun to post and having attempted an exhaustive review of information here and elsewhere in the last several days, and thus having very little claim to having a firm grasp of the facts of the matter, I do, with those caveats, conclude XPA Magnet is probably correct---unless, that is, a key suspect, and I cannot say who that could be, is currently incarcerated, and OSBI is building a case which it will then file before that suspect can be released. Right now, that looks like a best-case scenario, and a tenuous one, at best.

Hi and welcome. If you would, please clarify your statement "I cannot say who that could be..." for us. Do you mean you just don't know, or you might know but can't say? Thanks in advance.

 

[wfgodot]

A good question, XPA Magnet. First I'd written, "...but I don't know who that could be," then decided to perk it up with a bit of mystery and changed it to the "cannot say" bit---mystery, yes, but, worse, it turned out vague. And, as I'm an English teacher, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, for not following the first dictate of good writing: keep it simple, make it clear. I was also trying to jog loose some info from Weleetka-area folks on who might happen to be currently incarcerated (besides the preacher, that is), and if that person or persons might indeed factor into the case.

XPA Magnet: your posts are terrific, so tell me (and I may have missed this): do you think OSBI has DNA evidence from the scene, or are they just blowing smoke and hoping to shake some action?

 

[Albert18]

I don't think LE has dna. I also think some of the POI info is bogus.

 

[XPA Magnet]

Hey wfgodot - Thank you for the compliment. If you like my posts, you must not be affiliated with OSBI in any way. You are relatively new here, and so am I, but there are some excellent sleuthers here. If you have any suspicions about anyone, speak up; you will get a quick answer as to his/her incarceration status. Don't beat around the bush. We got plenty of that from official sources already. Thank you for joining in, and I look forward to any contribution you can make.

To answer your question, I guess you read the quote from OSBI's spokesperson that they did indeed collect DNA from the scene not belonging to the girls. I am inclined to believe they did, but like Albert18 just added, maybe they did not. After all, that same spokesperson called this case "solvable." There have been others who also aren't buying the POI story. After nine months of this charade, it's no wonder that people would doubt OSBI's credibility.

 

[wfgodot]

No, XPA Magnet, I'm without affiliation entirely here---just an interested party, albeit one without much background whatsoever in terms of the players in this rum affair. Thus, I don't know enough, basically, to ask about anyone specifically---as suspects, I mean. Yes, there is the family, and there are the grand jury questionees, and then there's the preacher accused as a pedophile, but after those names, well, I should have taken notes when I poured over all these threads the last couple of days. What I need is a primer, basically: "The Newbie's Guide to Suspects in the Greater Weleetka Area," something like that. Oh, I'll catch on as we go along, but I feel pretty insubstantial in my commentary right now---I'm at the "playing a hunch" stage.

From what source, for example, would the DNA have been taken at the crime scene? I can imagine a few possibles, but I'm not as well-versed in any of this as just about everyone else is who posts here.

Basically, I'm quite critical of LE because, my God, it's been nine months, and no arrests---but I tempered that in my comment last night by opining that, perhaps, a subject is currently incarcerated, LE doesn't have to worry about him (or her, I guess) going anyplace, so they're building a case in the meantime. Seems unlikely, of course, but it seemed wise to give a tip o' the hat to good law enforcement, if such exists around these parts. I wholeheartedly agree with something Weleetka1 wrote me on another of the topic-threads, about Oklahoma communities covering things up: "This," he wrote, "is usually done so favor trading can continue as a way of life, or a way for one to own another." I've lived in Oklahoma over the course of ten+ years, and near Oklahoma---within 30 miles---for another forty, and that seems to me EXACTLY to be the case with what's going on now. And I think that's more than just playing a hunch.

To lay out my cards, as of right now, I feel the authorities---some of them at least---do know who did this but they're doing nothing to solve this case, and well may not, ever, make arrests in it.

 

[wfgodot]

Hey, Weleetka people! Let's rally forth here, and solve this heinous crime. When I look at the threads and see I'm the last one who has posted on about seven of them, I begin to think, "Omigod, if I'm the only one doing the talking, this case WILL never be solved!" I know I'm a newcomer while you guys have been hoping and praying and theorizing for ages now, but I'm afraid we somehow are letting the girls down. Does this make sense? I know there're lots of other Websleuth cases about which to think & post, and everyone has lives to lead, and I've suddenly arrived in your midst, jabbering about stuff which has been gone over here countless times before, but I'm interested to hear what you all have to say, even if you're repeating stuff---it's new to me at least, and I've already met some wonderfully intelligent, caring people here, people who I can't help but think have more to add.

For we Oklahomans this case will never go away until it's solved. It will be an irritant, like grains of sand inside oyster shells, but I can't help but think that we, somehow, can change those grains into pearls, if we rack our brains and try. I can't help but be reminded of the Locust Grove girls, and how that case is still unsolved---though some think it actually was, and the jury got it wrong; I don't agree---30 years after. That case still haunts me, and I don't want this one to.

 

[Albert18]

Well I will rehash this.

Let's consider the killers were local and probably young. The crime scene is remote. People saw the POI. There were some kids running around shooting(I don't think they were involved but they would be eyes in the area). Whoever did this had to move in and out of the area and couldn't be someplace else at the same time. LE has or they think they have dna or they want us to think they have dna. The case is cold.

This doesn't add up to me.

Notice how LE has never really timelined this crime with all the participants. And apparently the POI was like a mist in the wind.

If the killers were young and local there should have been an arrest within days.

 

[wfgodot]

Thanks, Albert18. For some reason, I do not believe this to have been a young man/men's crime. Nothing substantial to back up my opinion---indeed, much of my reasoning might be thought of as "vague"---but just the hunch that it's not. If indeed it was, as you say above, an arrest/s would almost certainly have followed, and soon.

And indeed the POI has proved to be "like a mist in the wind." A haunting phrase, that, especially in the context of this case.

Hey, all: one thing I was meaning to ask: does anyone on here check out the now-804-pages of Topix.net? I read through quite a few of them, wincing at times but not unenlightened at others. What are ya'll's takes on that site, in regards the case in question?

I always stand ready to be enlightened by my betters.