OK OK - Lauria Bible, 16, & Ashley Freeman, 16, Welch, 30 December 1999 *ARREST*

[M86]

Was Ashley's boyfriend ever questioned?

I believe he was... Not much as been released about him. If I remember right, he's still in that area, and he isn't considered a suspect.

But local LE at the time was shaky, to say the least. OSBI took over the case, and they don't really have the greatest track record.

I've very familiar with this case, and I'm convinced that local LE and drugs are involved. Unfortunately, not much can be done now.

 

[Dallen]

I believe he was... Not much as been released about him. If I remember right, he's still in that area, and he isn't considered a suspect.

But local LE at the time was shaky, to say the least. OSBI took over the case, and they don't really have the greatest track record.

I've very familiar with this case, and I'm convinced that local LE and drugs are involved. Unfortunately, not much can be done now.

Sadly, I agree. As for the boyfriend, I wish we did know more about him and what he had to say about that night though. I haven't seen anything that rules him out, so they must have some info on him that does.

 

[wfgodot]

Was Ashley's boyfriend ever questioned?

I believe he was... Not much as been released about him. If I remember right, he's still in that area, and he isn't considered a suspect.

But local LE at the time was shaky, to say the least. OSBI took over the case, and they don't really have the greatest track record. [BBM]

I've very familiar with this case, and I'm convinced that local LE and drugs are involved. Unfortunately, not much can be done now.

OSBI infamously couldn't locate Danny Freeman's body even though it was directly under their feet at the time.

I think this link may be somewhere above, but it's worth reposting as it contains Max McCoy's three-part investigative series on the case, published in the Joplin Globe:

http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=451

 

[wfgodot]

Doesn't seem possible, but in less than a hundred days, this case will have stayed unsolved for 15 years.

 

[M86]

Doesn't seem possible, but in less than a hundred days, this case will have stayed unsolved for 15 years.

Crazy, isn't it?

I think of Lauria and Ashley often. I was in that general area a few weeks ago (Miami, Oklahoma) and it just consumed me. It's weird... I've never met the families, and I've only lived here (in NW Arkansas) for a few years, but I've spent hours reading and researching everything about it, it sometimes feels like they're someone close to me. Justice just hasn't been done.

I'd like to drive by where exactly the trailer was, but I still don't know the exact address.

It still seems crazy to me that an entire family, plus a member of another family, is gone - Shane being killed by LE, the Freeman mom and dad being shot at the fire, and Ashley and Lauria both missing.

ETA: Yes, wfgodot, the OSBI missing Danny's body is insane, sad, and ridiculous. Absolutely unacceptable.

I wish we could get Lauria's mom on the thread.

 

[wfgodot]

Full agreement -- lived in Miami for 15 years, know relatives of the missing, and am baffled that this case is now (and has been for years) off the radar almost completely, and with such striking elements -- a double homicide, an arson blaze, and two missing teenage girls (plus the backstory, of course -- a LE shooting, a confession by a serial killer, etc.). Set it almost anyplace but OK and this story lives in infamy. Instead, it's barely remembered.

 

[M86]

Full agreement -- lived in Miami for 15 years, know relatives of the missing, and am baffled that this case is now (and has been for years) off the radar almost completely, and with such striking elements -- a double homicide, an arson blaze, and two missing teenage girls (plus the backstory, of course -- a LE shooting, a confession by a serial killer, etc.). Set it almost anyplace but OK and this story lives in infamy. Instead, it's barely remembered.

Do you think LE is involved? I know this is touchy, but I have to ask.

 

[wfgodot]

Do you think LE is involved? I know this is touchy, but I have to ask.

Still not sure but lots of folks there assume it to be so. If pressed I'd probably say yes, involvement at some level.

 

[Dallen]

I think LE's ignorance during the investigation speaks loudly. I don't know if it points to involvement or just lack of sympathy for the family, but not finding a body that is easily discovered by family, and the total lack of caring for crime scene evidence is just baffling.

 

[inthedark14]

So today I saw this case in the timeline and I've been hooked. I've just spent the last few hours reading most of the thread. I'm posting after stalling on the 5th page (I do 100 posts per page on my web browser) because I'm running out of time and have to feed my DH. This is a post of my questions/comments of what I have read so far. I would just like to state that I don't normally jump all in on a cold case like this and spend hours reading because I know that there are so many people who have dedicated so much time to these poor missing people (and you all rock so very much) that my feeble attempts are not helpful. This case is so scary and so ambiguous that it's totally pulled me in, so here's the notes I've taken so far...

Did Lauria have a boyfriend?

Why isn't there any MSM mention from friends of AF or LB other than AF's boyfriend? Didn't these girls have other friends in this community that were aware of what was going on with them? Why haven't we seen any mention from anyone else besides the boyfriend with the (not necessarily suspect, but maybe) timeline? If these girls met while younger and in 4H, there must have been other friends, where are they and why haven't we heard from them?

According to LB's mother, there were many, many guns in the trailer, including in AF's room. These guns were also left at the scene by LE for days? Who would know how many guns where supposed to be in the house? At the time of this incident what were the gun laws in OK? More importantly, why the the H would LE leave guns lying in the lawn or a property?

Who in the area would actually know that AF's (step?) father had a large collection of valuable NA art/artifacts? Exactly how much would these items be worth? Would they even be able to be sold on an open market? I may be incorrect, but aren't NA artifacts protected by federal law? Did either of these girls have any NA heritage?

According to the MSM reports both of AF's parents died of GSW to the head. (GRAPHIC WARNING) The ensuing fire burned hot enough that the father's extremities were burned away. I'm not super familiar with forensics of fire, but I am aware that due to extreme heat the (I'm so sorry for typing this) brain will boil and the skull will explode. I am not certain however about other organs doing so...is it a actual forensic fact that due to extreme heat that intestines would be outside the body and if in fact they were, why were they not consumed by the fire as the other parts were? I'm really sorry to bring this up and I know it's awful, but from reports I've read, it seems like that because of the thickness of the skull the boiling and explosion happens and that the lower body is soft tissue and wouldn't necessarily explore but would have been consumed by the fire. This may be my ignorance, by I just don't understand.

Also, regarding the GSW to the head, that's pretty specific and talented. Even LE is trained to aim at body mass. Since both parents where declared dead of a head shot, we can ascertain that someone with a good claim on gun understanding and usage committed this crime.

Did LE ever check into the bank records for the supposed money that AF had, she had only just turned 16, she wouldn't have been able to have any kind of account expect maybe a passbook savings account? She had a job so she was getting a paycheck, where did she cash it? Or did she deposit it? Or was she paid cash? Conversely, it would appear that LB was the more "affluent" of the two. Her mother states that she had $200.00 on her that day, but per LE there was $40 in the purse that was found. What did LB spend $160.00 on? Did LB have a bank account, did she have job, did she have an ATM card? Where did her money come from?

Is it an actual fact that the officer that shot AH's brother Shane was the brother of the Chief of Police in Craig County? Accordingly is it true that both of them left the county payroll within a year or so after these events? Are either of them still in LE? Where did they work next? Please note that I am in NO WAY bashing LE in any way. I am just looking at the sequence of events.

Considering the stats of missing persons in Oklahoma and the very limited amount of information that is out there for a lot of them...(again NOT bashing LE, just making a general comment) there are many things about the case of these two missing girls that should be public record are not. Why is that?

ALWAYS MOO

 

[inthedark14]

Something that is really nagging me about this case is that TWO convicted murderers on death row have "confessed" or stated that they had knowledge of the fate of these two girls. How often does that happen? It just is a real sore point when thinking about the totality of this case.

The mindblowing LE's disgrace of an investigation at the crime scene and LB's parent's finding DF's body, complete with boot marks made by LE while removing KF's body and then the statement by LB's mother that LE left guns lying out in the grass near the home is incomprehensible to me. I honestly cannot wrap my mind around it.

Having been an avid reader of WS for many years and a member for a few more, well I can honestly say, although we do not bash LE here, I have seen some cases where LE has bent and meshed and in some cases outright fabricated and lied about what the truth is. Sometimes they do this for the good of the case, or for the safety of the public. In other cases, there is a clear blind eye turned to some evidence that doesn't fit with the accepted LE theory. In this particular case, it seems like LE didn't do anything with the initial crime scene except remove KF's remains. In the process of doing that, they managed to completely miss DF who was lying in the same room, under a carpet fragment and by all reports they actually had stepped on the poor man's corpse.

Even twenty years ago how does something like this happen? Since it quite obviously DID happen, is this now a cautionary tale told to new LE recruits, something that is a legend of a total mishandling of a scene?

What are the public records laws in Oklahoma? Can anyone request them? Do you have to go in person to do so? I'm off to search. By all accounts there should be a plethora of information available regarding this case and all the subsequent searches and inquiries.

This case is so solvable. Why hasn't it had more media attention????

ALWAYS MOO

 

[Dallen]

Thank you, inthedark14. I feel like I'm reading my own thoughts

 

[wfgodot]

How can something like this happen? Easy. Consider a state being massively underserved by its law enforcement.

 

[wfgodot]

In another month we may see one or two "15 years ago..." stories. It would be nice to keep this case alive.

 

[Dallen]

15 years ago this month. Heartwrenching for the Bible family. Hoping to catch new sets of eyes on this case with this BUMP! We need new ideas.

 

[wfgodot]

In another month we may see one or two "15 years ago..." stories. It would be nice to keep this case alive.

Two Oklahoma Girls Still Missing After 15 Years ..(fourstateshomepage.com)

"As far as law enforcement, you know, these are the people that told us at the beginning that they were going to go find the girls. You know, you go home, you sit and wait, we're going to do our jobs. Well, they didn't do their jobs," said Bible.

my edit; the rest at link above

 

[wfgodot]

...and a good long-ish Tulsa World article at the link:

Authorities still seeking clues in 15th anniversary of killings, missing Welch girls

“I still believe Lauria is alive,” her mother said.

 

[wfgodot]

This one from Fox23 in November slipped under the radar; with video:

Family marks 15 years since girls disappeared from Welch

Craig County Sheriff Jimmie Sooter has chased leads across the country, mostly to Florida. He believes the girls are still alive. He told FOX23 finding new leads has been slow, but at least the phone still rings.

“All over the country we've had tips. From truck stops to restaurants where they are going to be working as waitresses, and those have all been checked out. It's just going to take a miracle to solve this,” said Sooter.

 

[TedMac]

This one from Fox23 in November slipped under the radar; with video:

Family marks 15 years since girls disappeared from Welch

I'm curious as to why Bible's parents and the Sheriff think the girls are still alive. I understand if Bible's parents are just hoping for the best scenario, but if the Sheriff really believes this, he must have some information he is not disclosing to the public. M.O.O.

 

[wfgodot]

If Sooter really believes the two are still alive 15 years on, he either thinks they are on the lam and were involved in two homicides, or are long-term victims of trafficking. Both are extremely unlikely. At this point there's no reason for withholding whatever "information" the sheriff is likely to have.