Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #3

Status
Not open for further replies.
  • #181
As many have stated, it's difficult to wrap yourselve around this case, primarily, IMO, due to time, distance, witness/evidence.

First off is the timing.

Reports state the girls left around 5:00 p.m. Sunday to walk. Skyla's mother calls about 5:08. Grandmother takes this call and tells Grandfather to call the girls' cellphone and tell them to return. No answer and he takes off looking for them. LE believes deaths occurred around 5:20-5:25 (reports indicate that they don't think sexual assault is involved because girls are found clothed and indicate that there wasn't enough time for sexual assault to occur). Grandfather's 911 call is reported at either 5:40 p.m. or 5:41 p.m. Skyla's mother arrives at Taylor's house from either south (common assumption) or north and is flagged by grandfather so that she cannot see the bodies (why I think she came from the north).

So timing: all this occurs between 4:55 to 5:41.

4:55 - 5:00 Girls leave house. (assumed)
5:08 - 5:10 Skyla's mother calls (reported in interview)
5:13 - 5:25 Sometime in this time frame, Grandfather attempts to call girls to tell them to return (assumed)
5:10 - 5:25 Witnesses reported seeing girls walking and the suspicious person (don't know if they are the same witness or two different ones) assumed since girls are seen alive)
5:20 - 5:25 Assumed time of death (reports say sexual assault unlikely because whole event takes place in 20-25 minutes)
5:25 - 5:30 Grandfather leaves on foot to look for girls (assumption because he is going north toward the girls and doesn't see white pickup in the road (not reported at least,) so murder has already occurred)
5:38 - 5:39 Grandfather finds girls and
5:40 Grandfather calls 911

Next is the distance:

Reports are that they made it to the bridge and were returning. Bridge on Yahoo maps looks about 3/4 mile away and some reports say it is 3/4 mile away. Other reports are that it is 6/10 mile away. One early report says that the girls were found 1/4 mile (200-300 yds) from Taylors house on west side of County Line Rd. and the bridge was another 1/4 mile from that. So, you have 3/4 mile, 3/5 mile, 1/2 mile as to how far the bridge was from Taylor's house.

Round trip if they did make it to the bridge from Taylor's house to where they were found is 1.5 miles (3/4 there and 1/2 back), .95 miles (6/10 there and .35 back), or 3/4 mile (1/2 there and 1/4 back).

If they did make it to the bridge and back and LE seems to think they did, then the shorter distances are probably more accurate.

Finally, witness reports and evidence:

6 people say they either saw the truck and person, saw the girls walking (moments from being shot supposedly, so we assume they were walking back south), or heard the unusual gunshots. There is supposedly a U-turn track near where the girls were shot. They were shot at the spot where the bodies were found. They were shot from the front. But, where they facing east when shot, kind of in a drive-by fashion, or where they shot facing north (having been confronted from someone coming up from behind, or where they shot from the south, the U-turn being in front of the girls).

A boot print is reported to have been found. Truck is white with a chrome strip on the side either a Chevy or Ford with OK plates. (I think it is a Chevy/GMC since they use that chrome on the side to tell what kind of truck it is: 1500, 2500, or Silverado, etc.)
The POI was described as acting suspicious, outside of the truck, with the truck parked at almost a perpendicular angle to the road.

Questions I have:
From a time standpoint, how did the girls cover that distance to the bridge and back? They are only 1/4 mile from the house when they are shot. If Skyla's mother calls at 5:08, how long did grandfather try to reach the girls on the cell before walking out after them?
1/4 shouldn't take but 5 minutes to walk, even slowly. And he doesn't see anything suspicious in the distance while walking. If Skyla's mother calls and says she is coming for the girls and they call the girls to come back, and Skyla's mother takes about 30 minutes to get to the house (5:08 to past 5:41, time of 911 call) what does that say how far they bridge is and how fast they think the girls are travelling? Reports indicate grandfather was concerned when girls didn't answer cellphone and took out after them shortly thereafter. But, if Skyla's mother calls at 5:08, why does he wait at least 15-20 minutes to go find the girls?
How could the girls have made that distance if the bridge was indeed 3/4 mile away? If they did make the bridge and were returning, it had closer.

If the girls saw something suspicious, why didn't they call home? Seems the phone wasn't answered
closer to the beginning of the walk.
Were the girls shot from a car for all the shots, or did someone get out and finish them off
upclose?
 
  • #182
SS, thank you for the below link. I found the below snips interesting. And LE knows what time the girls were murdered. They don't say what time, but they mentioned the unanswered cell phone call. A good indication that they didn't answer because they were dead. Time frame is even tighter than before. Girls leave the house around five and grandpa finds them at 5:30. What time exactly did grandma try to call the girls?

(snips)
The OSBI agent, however, declined to say what else the eyewitness saw — whether he saw other people along the road or perhaps a vehicle passing him.

"That's something for the killers to think about," he said.

Another new development in the case is that authorities now know what time the two were murdered.

Skyla Jade Whittaker, 11, and Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, had left Taylor's home on County Line Road around 5 p.m. Sunday for a stroll northward to the Bad Creek bridge, about a half-mile away.

Their bullet-riddled bodies were found at 5:30 p.m. by Taylor's grandfather, Peter Placker, who had gone looking for them when she didn't answer her cell phone.
Rosser would not divulge how investigators determined the time the two were killed.


http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080613_12_A4_hInves907999
 
  • #183
Okay, this town has a population of 1000. The people that normally travel that road are probably from that area. I would think in a city with a population of 1000 that almost everyone would know everyone else and what they drive...............

If you see a familiar car/person, you probably wave or honk.

If you see an unfamiliar car/person, you would notice that too.

Why isn't it possible that the killers weren't even in a car - that they were on foot and came out of the woods?
 
  • #184
If the girls saw something suspicious, why didn't they call home? Seems the phone wasn't answered
closer to the beginning of the walk.
Were the girls shot from a car for all the shots, or did someone get out and finish them off
upclose?

You have a pretty good synopsis. Thanks for doing that. The timeline is still up in the air though and even tighter than before.

With such a tight timeline I wonder if the girls ever went as far as the bridge and turned around and headed home? Looking at the OSBI footage where they are measuring. It appears they were looking at something that happened from a distance. I really feel the girls were picked off at a distance with a semi-automatic, then finished off up close with a revolver. One person could accomplish this, but I'm hoping for two as one of them might talk.
 
  • #185
Okay, this town has a population of 1000. The people that normally travel that road are probably from that area. I would think in a city with a population of 1000 that almost everyone would know everyone else and what they drive...............

If you see a familiar car/person, you probably wave or honk.

If you see an unfamiliar car/person, you would notice that too.

Why isn't it possible that the killers weren't even in a car - that they were on foot and came out of the woods?

It's possible. That would make the perp someone who lives within walking distance. Maybe he/she/they live in the woods. And maybe that's the reason for the air search?

ETA: There are alot of squatters that live in the woods. But they aren't unknown. You see them at the local stores buying supplies, etc.
 
  • #186
  • #187
Thanks for the timeline. It is a very narrow window. It makes me wonder if LE checked to see if the clock at Taylor's house is accurate and if they could have left earlier than the near 5:00pm they reported. People tend not to pay attention if a clock is off a bit due to slow batteries or whatever. If the girls did leave earlier then it becomes easier for some to believe they made it to the bridge and were indeed on the way home. The accurate time comes from the cell phone calls not from when they left.

I think the grandmother or grandfather called more than once and probably waited a few minutes to see if the girls came home or called back. He might have been in the middle of doing something and she was probably cooking about that time. Remember, they weren't worried about the girls being murdered...just not answering the phone. In their innocence, they probably were only worried the girls were flirting with boys on the bridge.
 
  • #188
The sketch of the POI says Native American male with European descent, so he would be of mixed race heritage. (I am myself) So if he does have a rap sheet prior, he may look a lot paler in those pictures than the sketch now, as its hotter out now and people tan.

For example this link someone posted of someone's offender lookup:

http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/s...ORTAL30&doc_num=189526&offender_book_id=82817

The male looks pale in the picture, depending on what month and how long he was incarcerated and when the picture was taken; in warmer months he may tan.

Is there any reservations nearby? If the POI even lives on one..

As for why he would be stopped on the road where the girls were murdered out in broad daylight in full view of witnesses is beyond me. Unless he wasn't aware of what was going to happen or is incredibly stupid.

If i am correct, if a bad crime happens on a Reservation, it's Federal jurisdiction and thus Federal Prison. Please correct me if i'm wrong. So if this man POI is related to the case, should we be checking the Federal Prison database for that area for potential matches?

As for why he was pulled over on the road, there could be random reasons up for speculation. Such as taking a driving break, car acting up, waiting for a cell phone call to meet up with someone. The place and the time is the kicker and that's the weird part. If he is involved, and there are more people involved as well, then the POI could be potentially at risk if others kill him, afraid he will talk.
 
  • #189
It would be interesting to know now that the truck and composite description is out there if anyone else may have seen this man that day? Not just during the tight time frame but maybe earlier?

I wonder if he may have been at the bridge that day too and was shooting his weapons at targets?

imoo
 
  • #190
In a small town, when an unknown person or vehicle is seen they stick out like a sore thumb. People can tell you details easily because they are naturally curious about an outsider.

Was this person seen in Weleetka, Dustin, Wewoka, or other small towns around the area? Did he stop for gas, cigarettes, or beer? They need to check with the people working in those stores. They also need to check with the stations on the turnpike with cameras.
 
  • #191
In a small town, when an unknown person or vehicle is seen they stick out like a sore thumb. People can tell you details easily because they are naturally curious about an outsider.

Was this person seen in Weleetka, Dustin, Wewoka, or other small towns around the area? Did he stop for gas, cigarettes, or beer? They need to check with the people working in those stores. They also need to check with the stations on the turnpike with cameras.

That is a good point, in either direction of that road, they should check survielance cameras at gas stations to see if they picked him and or the truck up on anything!
 
  • #192
These may have been posted already and were discussed on IS. Three possibilities re escaped convicts in OK. The first one Robert Donahue resembles sketch facially I think, would like to see the longer hair and cap from POI sketch on his face.

POI:
The sketch is of an American-Indian man, about 6-feet tall with black hair in a ponytail and around 35-years-old
http://www.kwtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8488535

Escaped Convicts in OK:

ROBERT L DONAHUE
American Indian Male; 5 ft. 10 in. tall; 196 pounds; Black hair; Brown eyes;
DOB: 04-JUL-1959, 49 yrs old
Escapee: Oklahoma City Comm Corr Ctr - E, Oklahoma – Escaped 12-FEB-2007
http://204.62.19.160/fugitives/fugitive_detail.aspx?id=215245


KIRK A HAZLETT
White Male; 5 ft. 7 in. tall; 150 pounds; Brown hair; Hazel eyes; Race: W
DOB: 10-AUG-1975, 33 Yrs Old
Escapee: William S. Key Corr. Center Esc, Fort Supply, OK – Escaped 01-MAY-2008
Domestic Assault And Battery In Presence Of Minor
http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/servlet/page?_pageid=394&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&doc_num=532893&offender_book_id=316844&imageindex=1


JONATHAN PAUL M CRAIG
White Male; 5 ft. 9 in. tall; 181 pounds; Brown hair; Brown eyes; DOB: 21-JAN-1969 (39 yrs old)
WANTED FOR ESCAPE FROM DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS – Escaped 01-MAY-2008 - Tulsa County District, Tulsa
http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/servlet/page?_pageid=394&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&doc_num=180582&offender_book_id=75171&imageindex=6
 
  • #193
We do not have any Reservations in Oklahoma. We do have tribal land. There are jurisdictional issues involved. However, this is being taken care of by cross-deputization in LE across the state. Crimes committed on tribal land don't neccessarily go to the federal system and stay within the county. Criminals cannot hide behind the tribe either and are routinely handed over.

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415144
 
  • #194
That is a good point, in either direction of that road, they should check survielance cameras at gas stations to see if they picked him and or the truck up on anything!
Small town stations or stores don't have cameras, but the chain stations or stores do. They will have to do old fashioned interviews with the sketch which is time-consuming, but I would think neccessary.
 
  • #195
Great finds, Cloudajo! We need to make sure they haven't been caught yet, but since two were recent escapes maybe not. You never know where these guys will turn up and what they will do to keep from being caught no matter what charges they originally faced.
 
  • #196
It's too bad that the witness who saw this POI by the white pickup w/ OK tags didn't notice the license number. Like someone else posted, I think this was an abduction gone bad. The girls smarted off to him (or them) or resisted advances earlier and they were ambushed.
 
  • #197
That's some good info Cloudajo!
 
  • #198
It's too bad that the witness who saw this POI by the white pickup w/ OK tags didn't notice the license number. Like someone else posted, I think this was an abduction gone bad. The girls smarted off to him (or them) or resisted advances earlier and they were ambushed.

Just thinking out loud here.... lol

Who carries guns or would need a gun - a fugitive?

Would your general run of the mill (if there is such a thing) abductor/rapist carry a gun???

Does Weleetka have a local post office - does the post office have any "WANTED" posters up???

The guy they are looking for has a pony tail - so any of the fugitives would have to have been missing long enough to grow his hair long enough to put in a pony tail.

I am leaning more towards a thrill kill or the girls saw something and possibly said something they shouldn't have......
 
  • #199
I wonder if the guy was drunk or cranked up (both). Maybe the truck was at that angle because he was wasted and stopped to take a leak. If he was out of control at that point and the girls said something to him...maybe he just lost it altogether and grabbed the guns. It is as plausible as anything else.
 
  • #200
If I am not mistaken, Native American males are allowed to keep their hair long due to religious reasons. I think this is why we see so many mugshots with ponytails and long hair here.

9th Circuit sides with Indian prisoner vs. long-hair ban
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=15619
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
121
Guests online
3,220
Total visitors
3,341

Forum statistics

Threads
632,263
Messages
18,624,048
Members
243,070
Latest member
tcook
Back
Top