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

[christine2448]

On June 8, Taylor and Skyla were found lying face down in a ditch on the west side of the road.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

The quote didn't come from Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice tho. So can we be absolutely sure that they were found this way? (I did see a video where someone mentioned face down from LE) The reason I ask is because if the girls were shot exclusively in the front...finding them face down would have to mean, imo, that the perp did the body shots first without a doubt. So how do you render the kill shot from that angle? Makes no sense. If they are face down, under the chin towards the top of the head isn't possible without rolling them over. If they did the kill shot first, the other shots aren't possible unless they were rolled over after all the shots were fired. Why did the perp move the bodies?

On June 8, Taylor and Skyla were found lying face down in a ditch on the west side of the road. It became Choate's crime scene, but because the nearest cell phone tower was to the east, it was Rice's office that got the emergency call that sent his deputies scrambling.

http://newsok.com/help-with-case-comes-across-boundary-lines/article/3260415/?tm=1214085708

 

[little726]

Does anyone think they will release the phone call that Taylor's G-dad made to report the shotings?

 

[christine2448]

Does anyone think they will release the phone call that Taylor's G-dad made to report the shotings?

We can't even get them to give us a time. They say, at this point, the call will NOT be released.

 

[YellowDog]

What if they had something on one of their school mates that was either embarassing or could get them in trouble witht the school, their families or the police and they were holding it over them? Picture a scenario where they had been going back and forth with them on the computer or via cell phone and had finally decided to have a meeting at the bridge. They refused to back down and their school mates had already decided to do them in if they wouldn't wipe the slate clean. The brutality of this murder makes me think it was done by someone very angry who knew them. I think something drew them to the bridge that day because one of the girls was going to be picked up by her mother shortly and they must have known this.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I just can't buy into the theory that kids did this. Also, if there were internet or cell communications, LE would have this wrapped up quickly.

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

The quote didn't come from Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice tho. So can we be absolutely sure that they were found this way? (I did see a video where someone mentioned face down from LE) The reason I ask is because if the girls were shot exclusively in the front...finding them face down would have to mean, imo, that the perp did the body shots first without a doubt. So how do you render the kill shot from that angle? Makes no sense. If they are face down, under the chin towards the top of the head isn't possible without rolling them over. If they did the kill shot first, the other shots aren't possible unless they were rolled over after all the shots were fired. Why did the perp move the bodies?

This is interesting and something I hadn't caught before either. It does make the chin-top-of-head shot difficult. It could explain the DNA traces though as someone would have to handle both girls.

However, didn't we conclude that we only heard about the chin shot from Skyla's grandmother in that first TV interview and maybe she wasn't trained to see what it really was?

I think the perp(s) were going to carry the bodies off, but got scared. I think one of the reasons the truck's manufacturer couldn't be identified is becase the gate was down on the truck, thus rendering the chevy or ford logo not accessible.

 

[YellowDog]

I just can't buy into the theory that kids did this. Also, if there were internet or cell communications, LE would have this wrapped up quickly.

Well, maybe I've lived in the big city too long because I can believe kids would do this. Kids see so much violence and death on TV, video games and in the movies these days that some of them become insensitive and numb to reality.

Maybe LE knows who did this and is still looking for the weapons to wrap this up. We don't really know how much they know.

 

[Claycat]

The quote didn't come from Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice tho. So can we be absolutely sure that they were found this way? (I did see a video where someone mentioned face down from LE) The reason I ask is because if the girls were shot exclusively in the front...finding them face down would have to mean, imo, that the perp did the body shots first without a doubt. So how do you render the kill shot from that angle? Makes no sense. If they are face down, under the chin towards the top of the head isn't possible without rolling them over. If they did the kill shot first, the other shots aren't possible unless they were rolled over after all the shots were fired. Why did the perp move the bodies?

On June 8, Taylor and Skyla were found lying face down in a ditch on the west side of the road. It became Choate's crime scene, but because the nearest cell phone tower was to the east, it was Rice's office that got the emergency call that sent his deputies scrambling.

http://newsok.com/help-with-case-comes-across-boundary-lines/article/3260415/?tm=1214085708

I don't believe they were shot under the chin. I believe they were shot in the top of the head after they were down. One of the exit wounds might have been under the chin. Skyla's mother or grandmother said Skyla had been hit under the chin, but it might have been the exit wound.

Thanks, Christine, for finding that! I was having trouble locating it.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

This is interesting and something I hadn't caught before either. It does make the chin-top-of-head shot difficult. It could explain the DNA traces though as someone would have to handle both girls.

However, didn't we conclude that we only heard about the chin shot from Skyla's grandmother in that first TV interview and maybe she wasn't trained to see what it really was?

I think the perp(s) were going to carry the bodies off, but got scared. I think one of the reasons the truck's manufacturer couldn't be identified is becase the gate was down on the truck, thus rendering the chevy or ford logo not accessible.

It would be impossible to get the tag id if the tailgate was down, imo.

Yes, we did get that description from the Grandmother (Skyla's), but it is very obvious if you have a small hole entering into the head under the chin area and blowing out the top of the head because of the damage. An amateur could easily see this and know. Also, she was not the only person who saw Skyla at that time. I am sure the mother, father and grandfather did as well. If the story was any different, one of them would have said so to correct her. I believe her because it would have been openly discussed between the ones who were there and did see at least Skyla that day before she left the site.

 

[Claycat]

I just can't buy into the theory that kids did this. Also, if there were internet or cell communications, LE would have this wrapped up quickly.

Believe me, SS, kids could do this. I was on a trial of a 14 yo who stabbed a 13 yo old multiple times. We never did figure out a motive, but he did do it. It may have simply been rejection. I don't know.

Sad...

And, this was a number of years before the violent video games.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I don't believe they were shot under the chin. I believe they were shot in the top of the head after they were down. One of the exit wounds might have been under the chin. Skyla's mother or grandmother said Skyla had been hit under the chin, but it might have been the exit wound.

Thanks, Christine, for finding that! I was having trouble locating it.

It is my understanding a bullet entrance is small and the exit wound would obviously be blown out, irregular, and covers a much larger area. (Not saying this is what it looked like on the girls...but what I understand in general terms about bullet wounds.)

 

[Claycat]

It is my understanding the bullet entrance is small and the exit wound is obviously blown out, irregular, and covers a much larger area.

I don't know if the mother would have known the difference, but I don't believe they ever clarified that. I'm not sure.

 

[YellowDog]

If shot in the back of the head, couldn't the skull bone have deflected it downward toward the chin before it exited?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I don't know if the mother would have known the difference, but I don't believe they ever clarified that. I'm not sure.

You are talking about country people here. They hunt, fish, and are aware of such things. Probably more than any city person.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I don't know if the mother would have known the difference, but I don't believe they ever clarified that. I'm not sure.

I bet the father and grandfather would know the difference.

 

[Motomom649]

This is interesting and something I hadn't caught before either. It does make the chin-top-of-head shot difficult. It could explain the DNA traces though as someone would have to handle both girls.

However, didn't we conclude that we only heard about the chin shot from Skyla's grandmother in that first TV interview and maybe she wasn't trained to see what it really was?

I think the perp(s) were going to carry the bodies off, but got scared. I think one of the reasons the truck's manufacturer couldn't be identified is becase the gate was down on the truck, thus rendering the chevy or ford logo not accessible.

Hi all.. New here. I've been following this case from the beginning though. I thought that it was the GM that mentioned the chin shot and was never confirmed by LE as far as I know. I know it's been getting discussed about how they were found. I thought it was on their backs. I'm just seeing now that it was face down through some of the links. Do we know for sure which is right?

I watched the link with Skyla's father, how heartbreaking. She's sending him butterflies now, he'll always have them little bit of peace when he sees them. My father sends butterflies too and it always calms me down a bit knowing he is still with me. It's just so sad, I cannot even begin to imagine how the family is handling this tremendous loss. Nobody deserves to suffer this way. This case is on my mind just about every single day since it happened. They cannot find the killer/s soon enough.

 

[Motomom649]

Believe me, SS, kids could do this. I was on a trial of a 14 yo who stabbed a 13 yo old multiple times. We never did figure out a motive, but he did do it. It may have simply been rejection. I don't know.

Sad...

And, this was a number of years before the violent video games.

I don't think kids did this. The main reason is kids talk. And if it was more than one, surely one of them would have ran their mouth by now. Of course since we aren't hearing much about this case it's always possible.

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

It would be impossible to get the tag id if the tailgate was down, imo.

You'd think so, but they only had to get the tag "look" i.e., notice it was OK state. I got this idea while driving and seeing a pickup truck (Ford incidentally) with it's tailgate down. I was still able to see the license tag.

Yes, we did get that description from the Grandmother (Skyla's), but it is very obvious if you have a small hole entering into the head under the chin area and blowing out the top of the head because of the damage. An amateur could easily see this and know. Also, she was not the only person who saw Skyla at that time. I am sure the mother, father and grandfather did as well. If the story was any different, one of them would have said so to correct her. I believe her because it would have been openly discussed between the ones who were there and did see at least Skyla that day before she left the site.

Skyla's grandmother isn't as much of a rural person as you'd think. Isn't she a veterinarian? She probably knows more about anatomy than the average OK rural resident. Additionally, the family was pretty much "silenced" by LE, imo, after Skyla's grandmother's interview. We didn't hear anything from them really until Peter spoke about a week ago and Skyla's father spoke just recently. Edit: I guess in my two posts I contradict myself. At first I say Skyla's GM isn't trained; now I'm saying she'd know and be more trained. I don't know what to think anymore.

If they were found face down, I'm more inclined to believe the less experienced killer just unloading their guns at the girls and getting a head shot from a distance in there. It seems like a long time to stick around after killing someone to have to move the bodies like that (roll them over, shoot them in the chin or head, and then roll them back).
__________________

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

In the Greta video where Rosser? (I think that's his name) was walking along the road does state that their heads were facing the road, but we never got from him that they were face up, face down, face sideways, etc.

Also, we have surmised that Skyla's grandmother saw her body after the paramedics were there as there was report of gauze being on her body, so she may have had benefit of seeing her after she had been cleaned up some if the paramedics had tried to do something with her. However, would they have, if it was apparent she was dead, wouldn't they be instructed to leave her be since it would be a crime scene?

Suddenly, her story has me questioning it somewhat.