OK OK - (GUILTY) - Kirsten Hatfield, 8, Midwest City, 14 May 1997 *Killer murdered in prison

[SeriouslySearching]

Just saw this on the local news broadcast and they did say the search is believed to be related to Kirsten's disappearance. The video at this link is from the broadcast earlier this evening and doesn't mention her by name:

http://www.koco.com/crime/midwest-city-police-investigating-cold-case-in-jones/30576652

Glad you posted this. I saw another story where it did mention her name earlier, but I could not find this thread.

Kirsten Hatfield's name just came up on our local news (Fox25). Midwest City LE and the ME for Oklahoma County were at an abandoned house in Jones, OK digging with a backhoe and a man came up saying he was her grandfather. He said he had no indication from LE they could be looking for her, but he still wants answers to what happened to her.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Midwest City cold case heats up with property search in Jones
Police won't confirm which cold case is involved

~Snip~

The 1997 case of 8-year-old Kirsten Hatfield, who vanished from her bedroom, is perhaps the most prominent cold case in Midwest City.

Many hope this new search will help solve the case.

~Snip~

Police will not confirm that their search is in relation to Kirsten’s disappearance and for now the search warrant is sealed.

~Snip~

KOCO 5 also spoke with Kirsten’s stepdad, Chris Hazen. He said police had not contacted the family regarding the search. The family said they continue to pray for answers.

http://www.koco.com/news/midwest-city-cold-case-heats-up-with-property-search-in-jones/30588842

 

[OkieGranny]

So none of this is coming from LE that this is Kirsten? Because we do have a man missing out in that area from several years ago and his name has slipped my mind at the moment. Tony something. If this turns out not to be Kirsten, it might be him.

ETA: Tony Day, went missing in 2009.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?92481-OK-Tony-Gene-Day-46-Jones-3-Dec-2009

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Tony Day's truck was found 3.4 mi/6 mins from the house where the search is being conducted. We should probably move this conversation to his thread.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?92481-OK-Tony-Gene-Day-46-Jones-3-Dec-2009/page4

Good call, OkieGranny.

 

[OkieGranny]

Or maybe not such a good call after all. Tony's not on this list:

http://kfor.com/2015/01/08/police-wrap-up-search-connected-with-midwest-city-cold-case/

Police are staying tight lipped on this one, but they will confirm they’re searching for evidence in connection with a Midwest City cold case.

They won’t tell us which one, but the chief says there are five cold cases his office is still investigating.

Those are Kenneth Frasure (1986), Nancy Probst (2000), Dale Johnson (1997), Brenda White (1967), and Kirsten Hatfield (1997).

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.koco.com/news/Midwest-City-police-continue-investigating-unknown-cold-case/30605812

Thursday we learned officers weren't working alone. Also on scene were two anthropologists from the State Medical Examiner, ready if crews found human remains...

Hatfield's family told KOCO 5 that police have yet to share any details. Officers told the family it would be days before any announcement is made, if at all.

 

[shandram19]

http://m.koco.com/news/arrest-made-in-connection-with-midwest-city-girls-1997-disappearance/35806208

ARREST MADE!

Who am I? I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind which encourages you to be who you choose to be as long as you are truthful to yourself. I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind that encourages you to reach higher. I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind that makes you understand that you are a survivor...that you are important...that you matter.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

They are reporting now that a neighbor was arrested. His name has been confirmed as Anthony Palma.

http://kfor.com/2015/10/12/breaking-arrest-made-in-1997-disappearance-of-midwest-city-girl/

Palma was arrested at his home at 1104 Jet Drive in Midwest City, only two houses over from the Hatfield’s home.

http://www.koco.com/news/arrest-made-in-connection-with-midwest-city-girls-1997-disappearance/35806208

Anthony Palma is being held by police in connection with Hatfield's disappearance.

http://www.newson6.com/story/30244124/arrest-made-in-1997-disappearance-case

http://www.okcfox.com/story/30244221/arrest-made-in-midwest-city-disappearance-case

 

[wfgodot]

Daily Oklahoman:

DNA links a Midwest City man to a 1997 child abduction case

---
"It is likely that Anthony Joseph Palma has been motivated to stay in the same home to conceal evidence of the crime and/or the location of Kirsten's body," Midwest City police Detective Darrell Miller wrote.
---

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Thank goodness! I hope we see real justice for Kirsten and her family. It has certainly been a long time coming.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It is interesting to go back and read this short thread. The dogs followed her scent to the stop sign at the end of the block and stopped. I wonder if that was near his house?

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

From the link wfgodot posted:

Palma was identified as a suspect in the cold case because his blood was found on the girl's bedroom window sill and on her ripped panties, which were recovered in the backyard of her home, police reported.

From the Charley Project

Small amounts of blood were discovered on the room's window sill and on the backyard's six-foot cyclone fence. The bedroom window was cracked open and Kirsten's underpants were located in the backyard. There was no sign of her and she has not been seen again. The blood inside the room was later found to probably be unrelated to her case: it wasn't her blood but was actually from a person who has been ruled out as a suspect, and authorities believe the blood was in the room before Kirsten disappeared.

I'm glad they kept the sample found from the bedroom if they believed that it was unrelated to the case. In an unsolved case you never know what is relevant and what isn't so that was good thinking on their part.

 

[shandram19]

Daily Oklahoman:

DNA links a Midwest City man to a 1997 child abduction case

From that link:

" Palma was identified as a suspect in the cold case because his blood was found on the girl's bedroom window sill and on her ripped panties, which were recovered in the backyard of her home, police reported.

Investigators concluded the blood belonged to Palma after he consented in June to giving a DNA sample. "The match was one in 293 sextillion," police reported."


"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

http://www.news9.com/story/30248454/affidavit-dna-links-man-to-1997-disappearance-of-8-year-old-mwc-girl

On June 1, authorities contacted Anthony Palma, who had possibly done work at the victim’s house back in 1997. Officers arrived at Palma’s home and spoke with his wife, who said Palma would still get upset about the case, because, “it happened so close to his house.”

Palma’s home is located just two houses south of Hatfield’s home and is on the same side of the street, police said.

Palma said he had spoken with authorities back in 1997, and even let them search his house. But he denied mowing the grass and doing work at Hatfield’s house, and he denied knowing Hatfield’s mother.

Palma told police on the night Hatfield went missing, he went to bed and was awakened at about 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. to his dog barking in the backyard. He said he got up to see what the dog was barking at and went back to bed. He denied having any involvement with the disappearance of Hatfield. But he agreed to give police his DNA sample.

Police then looked at the report from an FBI agent who had spoken with Palma back in 1997, and learned that some of the information Palma provided back then was inconsistent with what he told authorities in June, 2015. There is no documentation supporting the search of Palma’s house back in 1997 by police.

 

[wfgodot]

Daily Mail, pictures aplenty:

Neighbor is arrested for 1997 murder of Oklahoma girl, 8 - after he VOLUNTEERED a DNA
sample that matched blood found on the victim's bedroom window and ripped underwear

 

[SeaEclipse]

I wonder if akimmel's inquiries had anything to do with the case being re-investigated. I'm so pleased for her!

It's also amazing, looking back over this thread, how many of the theories were pretty spot on (someone who had been to/done work at the house + a neighbor + the blood wasn't a coincidence).

 

[Faithandhope]

Was this guy the "family friend"? or was this different blood in her bedroom?

 

[shandram19]

Press conference at 3 if anybody is interested.
http://okcfox.com/news/local/arrest-made-in-midwest-city-disappearance-case-10-13-2015

Who am I? I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind which encourages you to be who you choose to be as long as you are truthful to yourself. I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind that encourages you to reach higher. I am that tiny voice in the back of your mind that makes you understand that you are a survivor...that you are important...that you matter.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Has Kirsten's mom (or anyone else from the family) said anything about how well she knew Mr. Palma? They had only been living at the residence for a little bit.

It's remarkable that the officer assigned to this case back in June was able to make an arrest so quickly. This is the second cold case I have read about recently where taking DNA from the people originally interviewed has led to the perpetrator being found.

 

[los2188]

DNA evidence helps Oklahoma police make arrest in 1997 child abduction

[video]http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/13/us/dna-evidence-and-oklahoma-child-abduction/index.html?eref=rss_latest[/video]