Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #16

[YellowDog]

Yes, but we didn't really sleep until we got home the next afternoon!

Same here. We stayed up all night laughing, talking about boys and playing games. Sleep was the furthest thing from our minds.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

WOW, you guys have been busy in here. I got busy and did not have a chance to catch up until now. We slept at the same truckstop again on Friday night so that Saturday morning I could go in and see if I could hear any gossip or anything. Nope, notta, nothing was said in the place nor did I see a poster showing the POI hung anywhere.

I have read a few messages here though and I am very confused about the tatoo found on Taylor. Are there any pictures of it in the report so we could see if perhaps it has the look of something professionally done or something that would be home made? The reason I ask is this, I have a son who is young and he has tried to give himself a tatoo. So if she did have a perm tat, is it possible it is something she did to her self or had a friend help her with?

Good job! It is troubling there are no posters up for him there!! (Maybe you should take some along and pop them up!!)

There are not photos of the tattoo, but the heart on her breast did say it was in black and the drawing indicates it was on her left breast with the point of the heart facing upward. However, this could be wrong in the ME's sketch of the markings. I agree about the waiver, being over 16 yo, and I don't know of a tat artist that would do that particular one because it involved her breast. Too many issues with that!

 

[YellowDog]

Don't a lot of people in prison learn how to do tattoos on each other? Maybe one of Taylor's relatives did it for her.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I am still trying to figure out the shot that entered the shoulder and went down into the top of her left lung and thru the other organs entering the lower right lung and where the shooter would have been, the angle of the shot and how tall it would make him. In my opinion, this would be the first shot to Skyla and the one that ultimately killed her. Right? It would have to be while she was standing up and he would have been to her left according to the angle of penetration. The other shots were more from the front.

 

[Claycat]

That's interesting about the posters, C2C! We had heard a rumor that they were being taken down before the last presser they had. It must have been true!

 

[Albert18]

If you look at the shots with powder burns they were both in roughly the same area except Taylor's was higher on her face. In fact Taylor's would be considered a face shot while Skyla's was on the neck below the right jaw. But they were very similiar shots.

At first I thought the hand wound on Taylor was a defensive wound but I don't think so. It appears her hand was cupped and the palm was facing her, which wouldn't be a defensive wound. I wonder if she was bringing her hand to her face after the first shot.

Taylor was basically shot in the mouth and the groin. The mouth and the groin.

ETA: Taylor almost had to be shot first. Nobody waits around to be shot in the mouth.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I do see what you are getting at, Albert. Interesting.

The ME mentioned he thought the one shot went through the hand and then into the body...but I don't recall offhand which shot it was. You could be right about her hand being cupped and going up towards the first wounds tho.

Unless they shot her near the groin first to prevent her from running. I am going to draw up my own diagrams so I can figure out the angles, if possible.

 

[Claycat]

At first I thought the hand wound on Taylor was a defensive wound but I don't think so. It appears her hand was cupped and the palm was facing her, which wouldn't be a defensive wound. I wonder if she was bringing her hand to her face after the first shot.

It's because it hurt so badly! She was reacting to the pain.

 

[CMorrison64]

It's because it hurt so badly! She was reacting to the pain.

God, those poor angels. What they endured. I know it was probably over fast for them, but the autopsy reports have just made it so much clear. I don't think I'll rest until this SOB(S) is/are caught.

 

[FlowerChild]

I don't know how anyone can be so sure of which victim was shot first. Skyla could easily have been the first one shot because she was furthest away from the road and probably trying to escape. As close as the volley of shots were heard, I think the shooter/shooters were just letting the bullets fly and hit wherever they may. I don't think they carefully calculated and planned each shot.

I think the the shooter was initially closer to Taylor, so she would logically have taken the 1st shot (or two). The face shots were almost point blank. And Taylor never even dropped her purse it happened so fast for her. Skyla was turning away and was (at least initially) based on her injuries, further away from the shooter - and all of her initial shots were to the body - the larger target. Only ONE of the shots to Taylor was a body shot - only ONE of the shots to Skyla to the head area.

And yeah, I think the shooter COULD have shot Skyla in the face, just like Taylor - she was already down when she was shot in the neck, might as well shoot her in the face - if the shooter had wanted to. He'd already shot Taylor 3 times at close range in the face and then knelt down to shoot her in the groin (the shot went upward). In fact it seems he took time to place Taylor's groin shot and took time to shoot Skyla in the neck and NOT in the face. He was standing right on top of Skyla for the neck shot - there were powder burns from that shot.

There were 12 total shots (if the hand shot to Taylor was a through and through to her right cheek) and that would be the total capacity of two "standard" handguns without reloading. Looks as if it might be every shot hit one of the girls. It also appears as if the smaller weapon was the last used (at least on Skyla), based on the bullet recovered from Skyla's neck shot.

Ugh, gotta take a break, this gets to me after a while. What kind of monster could stand and look into Taylor and Skyal's eyes and do this, makes me sick just analyzing it and re-reading it over and over.

My Opinion

 

[SeriouslySearching]

We don't know how many missed them yet. We just know they didn't recover some of the bullets. (The ME still counted the shot to the hand as 13.)

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Don't a lot of people in prison learn how to do tattoos on each other? Maybe one of Taylor's relatives did it for her.

People have been doing homemade 'tats' for decades.

As for Prison 'tat's, not a big deal to get them.

O/T: Here's a clip you may find interesting YouTube - Prison tattoos

 

[YellowDog]

I think the the shooter was initially closer to Taylor, so she would logically have taken the 1st shot (or two).

Only if the shooter was in the road which we don't know for sure.

The face shots were almost point blank. And Taylor never even dropped her purse it happened so fast for her.

Has it been verified that her purse was still on her shoulder?

Skyla was turning away and was (at least initially) based on her injuries, further away from the shooter - and all of her initial shots were to the body - the larger target.

Again, only if the shooter was in the road. He could have been in the brush hiding until they came up.

Only ONE of the shots to Taylor was a body shot - only ONE of the shots to Skyla to the head area.

And yeah, I think the shooter COULD have shot Skyla in the face, just like Taylor - she was already down when she was shot in the neck, might as well shoot her in the face - if the shooter had wanted to. He'd already shot Taylor 3 times at close range in the face and then knelt down to shoot her in the groin (the shot went upward). In fact it seems he took time to place Taylor's groin shot and took time to shoot Skyla in the neck and NOT in the face. He was standing right on top of Skyla for the neck shot - there were powder burns from that shot.

There were 12 total shots (if the hand shot to Taylor was a through and through to her right cheek) and that would be the total capacity of two "standard" handguns without reloading. Looks as if it might be every shot hit one of the girls. It also appears as if the smaller weapon was the last used (at least on Skyla), based on the bullet recovered from Skyla's neck shot.

Ugh, gotta take a break, this gets to me after a while. What kind of monster could stand and look into Taylor and Skyal's eyes and do this, makes me sick just analyzing it and re-reading it over and over.

I think it is getting to all of us.

My Opinion

.......

 

[SeriouslySearching]

God, those poor angels. What they endured. I know it was probably over fast for them, but the autopsy reports have just made it so much clear. I don't think I'll rest until this SOB(S) is/are caught.

It does bring it home, doesn't it? The pain, the fear, and the coldblooded viciousness of the act. The shooters were pure evil and never considered the lives of the girls. Total detachment.

 

[CMorrison64]

It does bring it home, doesn't it? The pain, the fear, and the coldblooded viciousness of the act. The shooters were pure evil and never considered the lives of the girls. Total detachment.

Just turns my stomach ... may the killer(s) rot in hell ... a slow, long, burning eternity. :sick:

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It did say she was found with her large purse on her shoulder in the ME's report. So yes...that part is confirmed.

I believe the shots are consistent with the perp/perps being on the left side of the girls and then in front of them which would indicate he/they were in the roadway not in the brush.

I am not convinced that Taylor was shot first, however. The shoulder shot from Skyla bothers me a great deal for some reason because of the angle.

I will have to go back and check on the angle of the groin shot on Taylor. It is possible it traveled upward after it hit bone instead of being actually aimed that way.

 

[YellowDog]

If the frontal shots were done first, the shots from the left could have been done as the shooter/shooters were leaving.

 

[Mysterylover]

If you look at the shots with powder burns they were both in roughly the same area except Taylor's was higher on her face. In fact Taylor's would be considered a face shot while Skyla's was on the neck below the right jaw. But they were very similiar shots.

At first I thought the hand wound on Taylor was a defensive wound but I don't think so.

It appears her hand was cupped and the palm was facing her,
which wouldn't be a defensive wound.

I wonder if she was bringing her hand to her face after the first shot.

Taylor was basically shot in the mouth and the groin. The mouth and the groin.

ETA: Taylor almost had to be shot first. Nobody waits around to be shot in the mouth.....

Albert,
I always try to think 'outside the box' in cases to give others something different to consider.
What IF Taylor was holding something in that hand when she was shot?

 

[PGW]

Go to many walls and buildings with gang graffitti. Z with the lines through it, anywhere from 1 to 3 lines, is a gang sign. It's been a gang sign for quite some time. I noticed the scabbed over marking with the line through it was located in an area on Skyla not visible to others. Another indication.

I'm not saying she was a gang member. Both girls sounded very sweet. It's quite possible this mark was placed on her at the scene and then scabbed over by the time of the autopsy? I don't know if skin will scab over after death. It's quite possible that Skyla and Taylor were being bulled by a group and this gang affiliation they thought gave them a sense of being "protected."
It's quite possible that they confused High School Musical "Z" with the gang sign. But that marking of Z with the lines is a gang sign. I am not mistaken about that. It's a definite. Why it's there might give more clues into what happened. I think it should be looked at for what it is.

Maybe Taylor was bolder with what she said to the person who approached because she believed she was "protected" - had others who would stand up with her. Never occurred to her that she could be killed. That tells me even more it could involve some of the youths.

The markings used to be done on the skin with eraser ends of pencils, but I understand now it's done with dry ice or extremely cold ice cubs with salt added to it, and then the area is rubbed raw until there is no skin left. Then it scars in the pattern. Happened in our area with a different mark than the Z, but with kids about this same age.

I'm well acquainted with High School Musical. The kids I know who are into it, refer to "Troy" instead of Zac and "Gabrielle" instead of her name Vanessa.
They are also way younger. The older kids have lost interest in it. At least in this area.

So the Z you are referring to from High School Musical, does it have any lines through the middle of it? Or is it just a Z? The Z with the lines through it, I repeat, is a gang sign. Perhaps a Z by itself is for Zanessa, but the other Z with the lines was showing up way before High School Musical ever came out.

Go to the many, many websites dedicated to High School Musical. Z stands for Zac or Zanessa (Zac and Vanessa).

 

[PGW]

That's what I thought, too. What if the phone was cupped in her hand?
I realize it would have been damaged, too, but what if it was "drop the phone or I'll shoot" and she dropped it in her pocket. Everyone wondered why she never used her cell phone. Maybe she tried and was stopped.

Albert,
I always try to think 'outside the box' in cases to give others something different to consider.
What IF Taylor was holding something in that hand when she was shot?