Brutal Murder Of 2 Girls Spreads Fear

Oklahoma Cops Still Have No Motive In Fatal Shooting Of Best Friends, Ages 11 And 13

(CBS/AP)  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."

Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Whitaker, 11, were killed Sunday afternoon near a bridge. Both had been shot in the head and chest.

The brutality has rattled this working-class community of 1,000, situated 70 miles south of Tulsa.

Weleetka has long been the type of place folks moved to escape many of the evils of the world. But townspeople said methamphetamine use - a particular scourge in small-town Oklahoma and elsewhere in the nation's heartland - has gotten bad around here, and crime is up.

"You think you're safe anywhere, but you're not. All the thugs is moving out here, too," said Skyla's grandfather, Jimmie Farrow. "It's a whole new ballgame."

Investigators said two guns were used in the killings, which suggests there were two gunmen. But beyond that, locals have been left to guess who did it and why.

"I could walk down Main Street in Weleetka and maybe pass the individual and I wouldn't know it right now," Rosser said. He added: "This should just hit to the very core of America. I just think two little girls can't go walking down a country lane road in this day and age. It's pretty sad."

Authorities are examining tire tracks, shell casings, bullets and shoeprints for any possible leads. They said they suspect a local person was involved because the killings occurred in such an isolated area. Rosser said that nothing is being ruled out but that there is no indication family or friends were involved.

Full autopsy results have not been released, but investigators said it appears the girls were not molested. They noted the youngsters were clothed and the bodies were found only about a half-hour after the girls began walking.

Sheriff Jack Choate, admitted: "We don't know what the threat is, but if it were me, I wouldn't let my kids out walking unless there were other people around, you know, that you knew."

Children are heeding the warning.

"I'm scared to go out of my house right now," said 14-year-old Tyler Couch, who knew the victims.

Taylor's family moved here to get her away from the violence in Oklahoma City, according to her uncle, Joe Mosher. Skyla's moved from Baxter Springs, Kan., outside of Joplin, Mo., for a taste of the simple life, Farrow said.

Both families thought they found what they were looking for along an isolated country road, where the neighbors are hidden from one another by the thick woods, Farrow said.

Farrow and other neighbors said they have noticed a change in the backwoods. Time was, Farrow said, he could go hunting on his property, leave his gun propped up against the house, and nobody would touch it. In the past 10 years, he has been robbed three times, he said.

The dirt roads, which Skyla and Taylor walked dozens of times for sleepovers, have changed, too, according to Farrow.

"It just went downhill out in the country," he said. "These roads ain't nothing but drunks and dopeheads on the weekends. Sometimes, you have to drive around them, they're passed out in the middle of the road."

Mosher said drugs may have played a role in the death of his niece and her girlfriend.

"The girls might have walked up on some guys cooking dope," he said. "There's been more of that stuff going on here in the past two years."

A neighbor, Ross Padgett, said drugs and the criminal element are worse than ever.

"Marijuana, meth, coke, you name it," he said. "A number of the meth cookers are right over in this community. They are busting them so hard in the cities, they are going rural." He lifted his shirt to reveal a 9 mm pistol, saying, "I'm not worried."

He said his 10-year-old son, Dakota, arms himself with a knife when he goes out to play on the family's land. The boy has also been trained with a gun.

"I'm good with a shot," Dakota said. "I'm pretty good with almost any gun."

A reward for information leading to an arrest in the case was increased Wednesday to $25,000.

Michael Grigsby, chaplain for the Sheriff's Office, called the killings "a tremendous slap in the face of reality."

"This is not supposed to happen in the heartland of America. Everyone wants to live where their kids can walk down a gravel road," Grigsby said. "It takes a while for a community like ours to wrap our minds around it."

[vnveteran72]

This Country has gone Insane......Pardon me while I cry uncontrollably.........

[beehive21-2009]

The World has gone nuts,is the end near ? Earthquakes,floods,fires, famine,killings for no reason hate,greed,hang on,the final ride ,cometh.

[hambonehd]

This Country has gone Insane......Pardon me while I cry uncontrollably.........

Posted by vnveteran72 at 10:14 AM : Jun 10, 2008


AMEN Brother!
What have we become, as a nation?
Stuff like this tears my soul.

[hambonehd]

DaVicar2

To live in fear and not do the things we love is not the answer. They win when we give that up.

[magoo2u1]

Things are no worse now than they have ever been. The problem is they are no better......

A kid should be able to ride her bike or take a walk without this kind of horror taking place. It''s sick and this monster should live the rest of his miserable life in a cell directly across from a full wall mural of these girls to look at every day as bubba the cell mate beats the shat out of him.

[msay3]

No words can ever express the egregiousness of this act! My deepest condolences to the families of these young girls....

[ksjeff-2009]

I read this story with a twisting feeling in my guts. This is revolting, disgusting and beyond vile. I pray that the person(s) who did this suffer an eternity in the worst hell imaginable.

[missybelle-2009]

I''m so weary of the world, political correctness, worrying about the feelings of others when they are obviously antisocial and wrong, worrying about everything except trying to get back to when right was right and wrong was wrong, and this kind of BS was punished severely. I feel so bad for these families, and the only person to blame here is the person or people who killed these little girls. I''m just sick. I hope the responsible party or parties are caught by some vigilante group and beaten within an inch of their lives at least 15 to 20 times, and then put down like the mad dogs they are. And I will not apologize or back down.

[johnpatrick9]

GONE TO BE WITH THE ANGELS ...REST IN ETERNAL PEACE AND BLISS.

[omega39-2009]

DaVicar2

To live in fear and not do the things we love is not the answer. They win when we give that up.

Posted by hambonehd

Hambonehd, this is not the concerted effort of a movement to deny people the right to safety and security. These are the sick actions of a sociopath that wants to prey on the weak.

[simplemind2]

Let''s hope the law will be able to catch the culprit(s) that have committed this kind of heinous crime soon!

[rowdywicca]

Sincere condolences to these families on their loss.

Those who believe in prayer, please join me in a prayer that justice will be served with a mighty hand on those who did this.

[renae2626]

This is absolutley rediculous. This world is getting to the point that children cant even enjoy a normal child hood of playing outside and enjoying nature even far out in the country. My prayers go to both of the families, this is very sad.

[displeased]

Very sad. But another victim of a lack of gun control.
Posted by zoe2006

I figured it was a matter of time before somebody would blame gun control. Try blaming the insensitive "animal" that has no compassion for human life. This person(s) has no place in society.

[drivelphobe]

missybelle...

Ditto!

[Latrocinor]

missybelle...

Ditto!

Posted by drivelphobe

ditto

[acolton1]

Taylor''s grandfather, Peter did it. Or another family member shot these girls. Somebody close to the family shot the girls.

[whatthe7700]

From 2005 to 2006, the estimated volume of violent crime increased 1.9 percent. The 5-year trend (2006 compared with 2002) indicated that violent crime decreased 0.4 percent. For the 10-year trend (2006 compared with 1997) violent crime fell 13.3 percent.

Aggravated assault accounted for the majority of violent crimes, 60.7 percent. Robbery accounted for 31.6 percent and forcible rape accounted for 6.5 percent. Murder, the least committed violent offense, made up 1.2 percent of violent crimes in 2006.

it''s not that there are more murders it''s just that you have more forms of media to report it these days.

[louiville2]

zoe2006, dragonwagon5, I guess if the perp. had just run them down with a car that would make you feel better? It''s peoples attitudes that need to change not the tools used.

[phydeux1]

Gun control has NOTHING to do with it. Just ask the British who have outlawed most personal guns and restricted rifles to hunting only, no personal defense. They have an increasing problem with gun deaths despite rigid gun control. GUNS DON''T KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE! The sooner you gun control nuts learn that, the better off we''ll be. Criminals don''t give a tinkers dang about gun control laws.

[bdrlnt4rl]

gun control has nothing to do with it. idiot behind gun is the problem. he need to pull the trigger on himself. guns do not kill, idiots behind the guns kill.

[uscitizenvet]

Just two more innocent casualties of a well regulated militia necessary for the survival of a free state.
Posted by dragonwagon5 at 10:59 AM : Jun 10, 2008
------------------------------------------------------
Very sad. But another victim of a lack of gun control.
Posted by zoe2006 at 10:49 AM : Jun 10, 2008
------------------------------------------------------
What does it take to educate people to realize that "gun control" will do "NOTHING" to keep any type weapon out of the hands of vicious people who will kill regardless of any law or control?
My sincere condolences to the families of these "children" and I pray the offender is caught quickly and has to pay with their own life!

[usbrit-2009]

Gun control has NOTHING to do with it. Just ask the British who have outlawed most personal guns and restricted rifles to hunting only, no personal defense. They have an increasing problem with gun deaths despite rigid gun control.

Posted by phydeux1

You all keep on saying this, but it''s only partially true. In 2006 the UK had 48 gun deaths, in 2007 the number was 56. An increase for sure, but still less than 1 in a million population. The US''s average
on the other hand is ~ 20000 gun deaths or around 1 in 15000 population, close to 100 times the rate in the UK.

[element51]

jboxton....What an arrogant and stupid post. I live in the midwest and I can assure you that most of the people who live here are good decent people. And where do you get off calling us "undeucated and backward"? I have a masters degree in History and was a teacher for 26 years. Also please tell me what the murder of two little girls has to do with the area of the country that they live in. Are you saying that you have no serious crime in the northeast? Come on man, get over yourself. I have attended many meetings in the northeast and I saw no difference between the people who live there and the people who live here. Just how did you arrive at you brilliant conclusion?

[extremophil]

This is why prisons were invented. Anyone want to talk about how executions are "cruel and unusual punishment" for murderers?

[usbrit-2009]

gun control has nothing to do with it. idiot behind gun is the problem. he need to pull the trigger on himself. guns do not kill, idiots behind the guns kill.

Posted by bdrlnt4rl

why then does the US have a far higher percentage of idiots than the rest of the world?

jboxton, the creeps that did this were probably from the Northeast......

[Latrocinor]

why then does the US have a far higher percentage of idiots than the rest of the world?

Posted by USBrit
.. .. ..

because we are not a police state like Britain.

[irliberal]

Put the blame where it deserves to be. on the person.

Posted by Willyhenail at 11:48 AM

I do. I blame it on every person that ever voted to make guns as commonplace and as easily available as beer.

[bdrlnt4rl]

why then does the US have a far higher percentage of idiots than the rest of the world?

Posted by USBrit

because of hollywood. they are the examples and the teachers of people who do not have the good example of parents doing their jobs as parents.

think about it, think about the tv shows, the movies, the large propoganda that hollywood tells the world on how americans are, and in reality we really are not, but there are the idiots who try to live the hollywood fantasy. hollywood is the terrorist of the world and of america.

[blondiblairy]

Criminals are criminals. Make firearms illegal and the criminals will still get their hands on them. As a country unique in the world with private citizens being able to own firearms, we prevent the ability of others to want to invade our country.

Put the blame on those who did the killing, not the means of the killing. Do you think knives should be illegal too? Or how about rat poison and lighters?

[displeased]

why then does the US have a far higher percentage of idiots than the rest of the world?
Posted by USBrit

I often wonder that myself. I don''t believe guns make people violent. Perhaps it economic situations feeding desperation, lack of morals from bad parenting, prescription drugs, social anxieties. Does Britain experience these same stresses to the capacity of the US?

[jboxton]

Element51 said:

"Just how did you arrive at you brilliant conclusion?"

When you people put farmin'' and fishin'' before education you get stupid people.

[Latrocinor]

I do. I blame it on every person that ever voted to make guns as commonplace and as easily available as beer.

Posted by IRLiberal
.. .. ..
Well then keep voting for your police state, maybe you''ll get it!!

[displeased]

Most criminals already steal them. If they were illegal then they couldn''''t steal them from law-abiding citizens.
Posted by Nancy_Naive

They would simply buy them off the black market. About as easily as they can buy drugs.

[Latrocinor]

When you people put farmin'''' and fishin'''' before education you get stupid people.

Posted by jboxton
.. .. ..

What a bigot

bdrlnt4rl, it all boils down to parenting. If you believe what you just wrote, then as a parent, you are letting your children grow up believing the same things you do. Our job as a parent is to sit with the kids and let them know the difference between fantasy and reality. I have raised seven children, five daughters and two sons. All of them have children of their own and they were taught the difference. Remember a thing called the "Family Hour?" That is when the families get together for an hour, and do something together. Read a book, play board games, SOMETHING other than sitting in front of a computer or television screen. Just by having that time together will also let us realize if there is a problem. Approach is very important. By the way, all my children have college educations and are doing well. It isn%u2019t easy with seven, but it was done. None of them have ever been in any kind of trouble and are passing the same values my wife and I taught them.

[bdrlnt4rl]

why then does the US have a far higher percentage of idiots than the rest of the world?

Posted by USBrit

because of hollywood. they are the examples and the teachers of people who do not have the good example of parents doing their jobs as parents.

think about it, think about the tv shows, the movies, the large propoganda that hollywood tells the world on how americans are, and in reality we really are not, but there are the idiots who try to live the hollywood fantasy. hollywood is the terrorist of the world and of america.

[erasmus81]

This is very sad.

"This is absolutley rediculous. This world is getting to the point that children cant even enjoy a normal child hood of playing outside and enjoying nature even far out in the country." Posted by renae2626 at 11:01 AM: Jun 10,2008

What is ridiculous is the fact that people haven''t clued in yet that children CAN''T play outside alone ANYWHERE. Not if you want them to be safe. People need to get this figured out. This is the way it is today.


"Put the blame where it deserves to be. on the person."

Posted by Willyhenail at 11:48 AM

"I do. I blame it on every person that ever voted to make guns as commonplace and as easily available as beer." Posted by IRLiberal at 11:50 AM : Jun 10, 2008

Exactly right. I realize that you can''t take all the guns back, but this shouldn''t have been allowed in the first place.

[Latrocinor]

Exactly right. I realize that you can''''t take all the guns back, but this shouldn''''t have been allowed in the first place.

Posted by erasmus81
.. .. ..

That''s right. Every person should have a police officer assigned to them to make sure we have a perfect world.

What incredible negligence we don''t have that!

[bdrlnt4rl]

mitchoncbs

there is only one religion i can think of that teaches the kids the way you have done. and yes i strongly believe hollywood has given america a very bad rep to the rest of the world.

your point is wonderfully put. very tactful. parents need to teach not only by example but by words of kindness and family values.

[Latrocinor]

But since your kind approved of torture and Bush running roughshod over the Constitution, then what else could you have to fear from the state?

Regards,

Posted by Nancy_Naive
.. .. ..

What a moron LOL!! You should go buy a brain instead of a defective assumption machine.

I voted for Kerry you fool.

[mudrose-2009]

But since your kind approved of torture and Bush running roughshod over the Constitution, then what else could you have to fear from the state?

Regards,

Posted by Nancy_Naive

G.ay Marriage and Activist judges running roughshod over our Constitution which they continually do to pander their opinions to a select group of people who need special rights.

[bdrlnt4rl]

Posted by erasmus81

i know, you idiots, lets bring saddam back to life and let him come run our government. he will whip, beat, cut our tongues out, burn us with tired around us, pull our fingernails off until we conform to be good little girls and boys and bow down to him. how about lets try bringing hitler back to life and he can be the vice pres!

think about it people

[dapex-2009]

Who wrote this story? The caption under the picture says no suspects, but the story says there is a suspect.
"Girl''s" is incorrect as well.....

[cusefanjapan]

Gun control has NOTHING to do with it. Just ask the British who have outlawed most personal guns and restricted rifles to hunting only, no personal defense. They have an increasing problem with gun deaths despite rigid gun control.

Posted by phydeux1

You all keep on saying this, but it''''s only partially true. In 2006 the UK had 48 gun deaths, in 2007 the number was 56. An increase for sure, but still less than 1 in a million population. The US''''s average
on the other hand is ~ 20000 gun deaths or around 1 in 15000 population, close to 100 times the rate in the UK.===============
USBrit, they''ll try to make it a race issue soon or say the Constitution guarantees it and that your country is a police state and the US is the only truly "free" country. We all know (or should know)there are many different ethnic and racial groups in the UK but there''s nowhere near the amount of gun violence. It''s not a racial thing. Americans think it''s macho to live and die by the gun and Hollywood feeds that perception. The self-serving NRA-pandering cowards already in office or running for office won''t go against the majority for fear of looking soft and losing the election. They all claim to be Christians but have no problems sleeping at night while people blow each other away with handguns over trivial matters. It''s pathetic and it won''t change within our lifetimes, if ever. Then they try to bust China over human rights.

[mudrose-2009]

You can thank those same activist judges that award special rights to murderers, child abusers, child pornographers, et al. They get off with as much as a nod and a slap on the wrist and then you hear of terrors like this - poor little babies. Every day, judges sympathize with criminals and they are the enablers that allow these things to happen to innocent children. They and the hackneyed feminists that are the biggest donors of child abuse in the history of the world. After abortion became legal, the number of child abuse cases rose to 2 million a year. Nice job goils.

[Latrocinor]

Show of hands for those who believe that!

Posted by Nancy_Naive
.. .. ..

What a moron LOL!! You should go buy a brain instead of a defective assumption machine.

I voted for Kerry you fool.

[olebd]

I''ve got to quit reading/waching the news. This is just too depressing to bear. Why kids? How could there be another human sick enough to kill children? or even harm children in any way?

Goodbye all....I don''t think I can waste away in sorrow anymore. Gives me a good reason to volunteer doing something for the good of society.

RIP little angels. Friends together forever, now in peace.

bdrlnt4rl, thank you very much for that compliment. It wasn''t easy, and I had learning experiences along the way, because every one of my children are different in their own way. Individually is important as well. We did raise our children strictly. We did not spare the rod (so to speak) and they started to learn at a young age you have to EARN respect first, not expect it. It wasn%u2019t always as easy as I put it, but the family hour is what kept us together through the tough times as well. There were times nothing was done, we all just sat there quietly reading something, or the kids just sat there quiet and did nothing. That is where my wife and I were able to find out if something was wrong, and then we dealt with it privately with the child. By the time they were 12, they had a choice to go to church or stay home and there wasn%u2019t any punishment at all if they chose to stay home. I called it the age of accountability.