Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #6

[Leila]

In reading the obituary, it would appear that Skyla's mother has been married twice, the first time to a man with the surname Gordon. She has two older children, Edward Gordon of Columbus, Kansas (who is being discussed) and Rosita Gordon of Tulsa, OK.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

What keeps me wondering and thinking is that both girls were executed..not one or the other. Since they were together that makes some sense..but if this was a hit..then normally that would not be the case. If they were after one or the other of the girls to make a point, then they would have waited for a time when they were alone. Taylor walked that road everyday. If they were after just her, then why not wait a day or until later that evening when she would have been alone. If they were after Skyla ..why do this on a weekend day when she was not at home..they would have known the schedules and habits of these girls if this was a hit.

I think something else is at work here..but I am not sure what..except I don't think either family is involved. I just think they unknowingly witnessed something that day ,or the day before possibly they walked the same path, and someone came back to take of it.

Maybe that was their intent. Do the crime away from Skyla's home. Making the crime scene there rather than it being tied to Skyla directly.

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

This is a different obit for Skyla that I had not seen yet

http://www.legacy.com/joplinglobe/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults&DateRange=Today&Product=0


Skyla Jade (Getman) Whitaker, 11, rural Henryetta, Okla., died June 8, 2008. She was born April 5, 1997, in Joplin, Mo. Skyla attended Lincoln and Central schools in Baxter Springs, Kan., and Graham School in rural Henryetta, where she participated in basketball, cheerleading, 4-H and S.W.A.T. Survived by her parents, William and Rose (Farrow) Whitaker, of the home; birth father, Kim Getman, of Baxter Springs; four sisters, Rosita Gordon, of Tulsa, Okla., Jennifer Spaulding, of Joplin, Mo., Christine Whitaker, of Popular Bluff, Mo., and Jayme Whitaker, of the home; a brother, Edward, of Columbus, Kan.; maternal grandparents, Jim and Claudia Farrow, of rural Henryetta; adoptive grandparents, Bill and Sharon Whitaker, of Baxter Springs, and Linda Pritchard, of Henryetta

So did her stepfather *Whitaker" adopt her I wonder?

imoo

 

[Morag]

(snip)... Nobody, and I mean NOBODY would think that something even close to this would happen to those little girls. If we did, we wouldn't have 5 or 6 threads on this already.

The superintendent of the girls' school thought the town was dangerous:

"But things are different now,” he said. "I have a 12-year-old daughter, and I wouldn't let her go out to walk. There are too many crazies.

http://newsok.com/weleetkes-no-dot-on-a-map-but-still-a-community/article/3259305/

 

[evelyn24]

Are the other two defendants from Kansas originally? I'd like to see where they have lived throughout their life.
Maybe they have ties to Oklahoma too?
idk.
Certainly a murder trial where one of the murdered girl's brother is ready to be a witness for the state against his friend, is a very interesting lead...very interesting.
It might not have anything to do with Skyla and Taylor, but you never know.

 

[Littledeer]

Home from work, haven't read all the posts yet.

MsBashterd:

Your post made me cry and smile!! Thank you. It's such a beautiful thought to think of Taylor and Skylar in that way. They truly are angels now. :angel::angel:

By the way, Welcome to WS!!!

 

[Littledeer]

christine:

Your doing a great job. If LE don't want to read through it, trust me, they won't. It will be up to them to make that decision. No harm done as far as I can see.

I understand a lot of begging is required for a forum. So I am going to start begging now. LOL

I didn't know that we usually don't send LE links to our threads....I always include links to our discussions when communicating with them. I am sorry you seem to disapprove with the way I am handling things. I have no problem with them reading here, I welcome it. That is exactly why we mods/admin work so hard to keep them cleaned up and on topic.

 

[Littledeer]

but I just hope this mysterious NA man in the white truck doesn't live in the same town as Susan Smith's black man with the stocking cap.

Welcome to WS Dalaipardon. Good first post!!!! I love what I put in quote that you said. But it is going on two weeks in 3 days....................This guy must really be buried deep somewhere or like you said..............a figment. However, I truly don't believe he is as LE would have made sure that the witness and/or witnesses that gave the information were credible.

 

[Busylady]

Thats the way I read it. I am not sure if her mom Rose was married first to Kim Getman, then a Gordon, and then Whitaker.

So did her stepfather *Whitaker" adopt her I wonder?

imoo

 

[SuziQ]

The superintendent of the girls' school thought the town was dangerous:

"But things are different now,” he said. "I have a 12-year-old daughter, and I wouldn't let her go out to walk. There are too many crazies.

http://newsok.com/weleetkes-no-dot-on-a-map-but-still-a-community/article/3259305/

He mentions how busy that road is now compared to when he was a kid. Which reminded me of Rosser's comment on the Greta vid. That the road is the main connector between two towns. It does appear to get quite a bit of traffic.

 

[Littledeer]

Albert wrote:

I think this is one of the biggest clues. The girls were killed where they were walking on a busy road, on a Sunday afternoon, and the crime was apparently interrupted by traffic. Yet the girls were not grabbed and transported. That sounds like a message killing to me. They wanted them found right there, not far from their doorstep. It looks like an in your face type of crime. And it was obvious overkill.

As I was driving to work this morning and drove past parts that had lots of trees and a ditch, I was trying to imagine what happened that day. I have two scenarios. One that I have is what Albert said, this was a message killing. No doubt there was an overkill on both of the girls. LE says they "think" the girls made it to the bridge. What if they did, and they were taken there and put in the truck and driven back and the guys were looking for a good spot close to the home, but yet not close enough, and the u-turn was made because someone said, there!!! So the u-turn is made and then we have the POI standing guard, while the other two or more take the girls out of the truck and do the shooting.

The other scenario is, the girls are walking back home, the truck drives by (maybe the men have been gambling and drinking all day or doing drugs) and one of the men say something and either Taylor or Skylar say f*** off, or give the finger or just anything, then the U-Turn is made and the overkill happens. Taylor might have been the first to realize this and told Skylar to get into the woods, that might explain why they were not found right next to each other.

I realize we have put alot of energy and thought into the relatives, and we shouldn't stop (just beware what we put out in public though, think don't put anything more than what I would want to see if it had happened to my family). But I think LE along with the US Marshalls and any other LE type involved have also been doing this. But you never know, one little thing they could have missed and we pick up..............

Okay, I'm done.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Thats the way I read it. I am not sure if her mom Rose was married first to Kim Getman, then a Gordon, and then Whitaker.

It is almost as confusing as trying to figure out Taylor's family dynamics.

imoo

 

[MeoW333]

There is the element of overkill on both of the girls, and the execution under the chin shot as well. It is obvious that someone(s) are trying to make an intimidating point. Regardless of which family has criminal history (as they both do) or if the girls witnessed something at some point in time, the killers had to be familiar enough with the area to make sure they could get away and out of there with out getting caught. They would choose a rural road over a personal home of the girls. It was said that both Skylar and Taylor were best of friends and always together. Maybe the only time the were alone; they were alone together. As for a hit, the person wouldn't want to leave any witnesses or take out the wrong girl, so they killed both of them. Witnesses who may have been driving by are another story, as whoever shot the girls was up close and personal with them. If it's a retaliatory shooting for either of their families' crimes, i would think it likely the killers stalked the girls and got familiar with the area if they didn't already know it.

There still is the possible did they stumble upon something they shouldn't have scenario, and the thrill kill one.
Either way, the killers made sure no one witnessed them shooting the girls. 2 different guns, 6 shots to each girl. Bullets from each different gun in each girl. So if it were 2 different shooters, it sounds as if they were taking turns shooting at these 2 little angels.

 

[GideonsTrumpet]

I heard the bikers were at Taylors funeral to act as a barrier on some other protest going on, that Skylas Mom called and wanted her to be ready (makes total sense if true) and Indians are pretty common there.

I started to think about what the killer(s) did NOT do. They did not pick Mon-Sat. They did not pick the morning. They did not pick late at night, (dark.) They did not molest. They did not finish off the adults down the road--(but maybe that plan got interupted..) they did not torture (technically.) They did not even try to kill possible witnesses driving by-come on, ONE person in a car? Why not drop them too? Unless you are fresh out of amo. They did NOT pick a person who could remotely defend themselves! Whoever was driving by. For some reason they were not there for that. Some clues may lay in what was not done--that checks random off the list, and so on.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

There is the element of overkill on both of the girls, and the execution under the chin shot as well. It is obvious that someone(s) are trying to make an intimidating point. Regardless of which family has criminal history (as they both do) or if the girls witnessed something at some point in time, the killers had to be familiar enough with the area to make sure they could get away and out of there with out getting caught. They would choose a rural road over a personal home of the girls. It was said that both Skylar and Taylor were best of friends and always together. Maybe the only time the were alone; they were alone together. As for a hit, the person wouldn't want to leave any witnesses or take out the wrong girl, so they killed both of them. Witnesses who may have been driving by are another story, as whoever shot the girls was up close and personal with them. If it's a retaliatory shooting for either of their families' crimes, i would think it likely the killers stalked the girls and got familiar with the area if they didn't already know it.

There still is the possible did they stumble upon something they shouldn't have scenario, and the thrill kill one.
Either way, the killers made sure no one witnessed them shooting the girls. 2 different guns, 6 shots to each girl. Bullets from each different gun in each girl. So if it were 2 different shooters, it sounds as if they were taking turns shooting at these 2 little angels.

I am not sure, Meo, that it has been substantiated that there was even a chin shot done to Skyla. I just don't think LE would discuss those graphic details especially last week when it first happened. I think Skyla's grandmother assumed somethings.

I believe as LE have consistently said and they were shot in the head and chest.

If there were two shooters then one could have done the shots that was fired with the lower powered bullets and the other one could have realized instantly that both girls weren't dead and then pulled their weapon and use it on both girls. Of course it is like LE has said......there is a possibility that there was just one shooter. I would think rather than reload the revolver he thought it was quicker to pick up another loaded gun he had in the truck. All of this would be done and over with almost as quickly as it began.

Whomever it was had to have nerves of steel and he wasn't worried about people seeing him in that area and that is why I don't think he is from that area.

imoo

 

[Ruflossn]

Hello All~
I am a longtime reader, lurker of Websleuths. First time poster~
These are a few thoughts that I have had while reading all the previous posts.

1. I do think the POI wore long sleeves deliberately. Assuming he is of Native American heritage, the sun is not a great concern for their skin tone. I believe he was wearing long sleeves to hide tatoos, scars, etc...........

2. I do not think it strange at all the Grandfather went looking for the girls. I believe he was being respectful of Skyla's Mother and was trying to make sure Skyla was ready to leave the moment her Mother arrived to pick her up.

3. One thing we know for sure is that these murders were definitely an "overkill". These girls with all due respect were not "just shot and killed" they were shot over and over multiple times. The most common reasons for this are:
*Passion - someone is so passionate about their feelings of betrayal, their feelings of being "found out", or any other scenario that they lose contact with reality and for a moment of time, overkill in a murderous attempt at making themselves feel better.
*Drugs - it is a known fact that many states, Oklahoma being one of them are combating (and some would argue losing) the war with regard to Methamphetamines. Meth is as bad as a drug gets. It is known to cause extremely violent behaviour in users. I wonder if the girls even saw anything illegal. I would not be surprised to find out that they were innocently walking down the road when one, two, or more Meth heads were out, saw the girls and in their paranoid, methed up madness decided that the girls saw them and the only way out was to kill them. That would explain the possible U-turn on the dirt road and the violent overkill.

4. The families being involved: to me that is unlikely. There would have to be an awful lot of planning and fore thought for someone to seek out and kill two young girls. All for the purpose of witness intimidation. I may be naive in my thinking but, I do not believe that most of the "family criminals" have the money and / or the knowledge to carry out such an intricate plan.

Sorry for my first post being so opinionated and long. After reading all the posts the last few days, my fingers just could not stop typing.

 

[SuziQ]

Ruflossn, Welcome to WS!

 

[strach304]

I'm going to post a couple of links to sleuth and shed some light on the area and drug trafficking. Since I think the NA was involved in some way I am hoping he is in the system for past offenses. I started with a search for drug related crimes. They don't have pics of all though. It is quite a bit to look through but there are a lot of us. We have a sketch and some other info like 6' so we can exclude all females and black males. Someone here suggested that the NA could've been mistaken for a hispanic and after looking at those mugshots that's a good possibility as well as others.

We have nothing to go on for any of the other perps who may have been involved but there's a lot of a lot of info that's interesting and informative about the drugs and criminal activity, areas, etc. How many of us know anything about these moving meth labs and the many types and ingredients etc.?

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs2/2286/overview.htm
Very informative and many pages

http://www.ok.gov/launch.php?url=http://www.doc.state.ok.us/offenders/offenders.htm

http://www.ok.gov/

 

[Littledeer]

Ruflossn:

Unique Name! Welcome to WS!

Good post with some good thoughts. Don't worry about the lenght of it, there is much to say by everyone, and when one has just been reading, it does tend to build up!!

I definately agree there is a reason for the POI to be wearing a long sleeve shirt on a very hot day as it was that Sunday. I was also thinking tattoos. Or else, they had been in the woods and were wearing long sleeves against the mosquitos, etc.

Now that's something..............maybe they were in the woods and the girls had taken a path that was in the woods and came upon them and ran.

At which point the men would jump in their truck and chase them down.

hmmmmmmmmmm..............

 

[FlowerChild]

FC, it's not anymore of a stretch to think this could be connected than to think some criminal element on Taylor's side of the family could be connected. For one I'd like to find out more about the Gordon connection and rule it in or out than to sit here and debate all day why it should or shouldn't be considered. To me that would be fruitless and a dead end.

Oh I totally agree we should check it out, I just think it's gonna be a dead end. Why? because if it was retaliation or a message to Edward Gordon, it failed miserably - it isn't being connected because the relationship with Skyla is just too "distant" and the location was also not tied to Skyla.

My Opinion