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Oklahoma County murder of housewife unsolved 36 years later
OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. —
A cold case in Oklahoma County involving the murder of a Wichita Falls housewife remains unsolved 36 years later.
In March 1985, a Wichita Falls housewife was brutally stabbed and her body was dumped a dozen miles past Oklahoma City.
Thirty-six years later, the killing remains unsolved. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office opened the cold case file to KOCO 5 in hopes that it would motivate someone to come forward.
Little is known about Sandra Jean Carrigan. The Wichita Falls housewife didn’t appear on law enforcement’s radar until maintenance workers found her body along the Turner Turnpike on March 19, 1985.
"We don't know exactly why she was in Oklahoma. We don't believe that she was killed there on the spot," said Aaron Brilbeck with the OCSO.
Investigators believe that Carrigan was headed to meet up with a group called Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord.
The group was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s radar at the time, and later ended up a piece of the puzzle after the Oklahoma City bombing.
"Exactly 10 years before the Oklahoma bombing, federal agents surrounded the compound of a militant white supremacist group in northern Arkansas. The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord, known as the CSA, had been tied to fire bombings and other acts of terrorism," a reporter said.
The doomsday sect believed that end times were near. Members were violently racist, believing that others posed a threat to white identity.
This declassified FBI report lays out their ideology.
“They believed in cleansing the earth of primarily black people and Jewish people. They had some really bad ties and she was associated with this group,” Brilbeck said.
Within weeks, investigators tied her to that group in an interview with KOCO 5 and said, "The information that we had was that they were en route to a religious gathering in Arkansas, which turned out to be this CSA camp."
An Oklahoma County grand jury showed interest in a man with ties to the covenant group in the murder, but he was never charged.
"Despite who she may have been associated with and what her involvements were, she died a very horrible, terrifying death, and nobody should have to experience that without some level of justice," Brilbeck said.
Elohim City, Tri-City Militia, and The Branch Davidians; the Militia Movement in America was thriving in the 1980s and that included rural Oklahoma, and somehow, a Texas housewife somehow got caught up in it and lost her life.
"There's really no smoking gun. There's no evidence that points to who's responsible for doing this," Brilbeck said.
Deputies believe that she was dragged to the spot where she was found, which means more than one person likely was there.
"We are very confident that there were witnesses to this," Brilbeck said.
While the case file is particularly sparse for a 36-year-old investigation, deputies hope that getting her story out there again could be the key to finally solving it.
"If you know about somebody's death, it weighs on your soul, and it might be time to get that weight off," Brilbeck said.
The Covenant withered away after the FBI arrests.
Survivalist to Testify About Stabbing
Residents Leave In Murder Probe
OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. —
A cold case in Oklahoma County involving the murder of a Wichita Falls housewife remains unsolved 36 years later.
In March 1985, a Wichita Falls housewife was brutally stabbed and her body was dumped a dozen miles past Oklahoma City.
Thirty-six years later, the killing remains unsolved. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office opened the cold case file to KOCO 5 in hopes that it would motivate someone to come forward.
Little is known about Sandra Jean Carrigan. The Wichita Falls housewife didn’t appear on law enforcement’s radar until maintenance workers found her body along the Turner Turnpike on March 19, 1985.
"We don't know exactly why she was in Oklahoma. We don't believe that she was killed there on the spot," said Aaron Brilbeck with the OCSO.
Investigators believe that Carrigan was headed to meet up with a group called Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord.
The group was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s radar at the time, and later ended up a piece of the puzzle after the Oklahoma City bombing.
"Exactly 10 years before the Oklahoma bombing, federal agents surrounded the compound of a militant white supremacist group in northern Arkansas. The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord, known as the CSA, had been tied to fire bombings and other acts of terrorism," a reporter said.
The doomsday sect believed that end times were near. Members were violently racist, believing that others posed a threat to white identity.
This declassified FBI report lays out their ideology.
“They believed in cleansing the earth of primarily black people and Jewish people. They had some really bad ties and she was associated with this group,” Brilbeck said.
Within weeks, investigators tied her to that group in an interview with KOCO 5 and said, "The information that we had was that they were en route to a religious gathering in Arkansas, which turned out to be this CSA camp."
An Oklahoma County grand jury showed interest in a man with ties to the covenant group in the murder, but he was never charged.
"Despite who she may have been associated with and what her involvements were, she died a very horrible, terrifying death, and nobody should have to experience that without some level of justice," Brilbeck said.
Elohim City, Tri-City Militia, and The Branch Davidians; the Militia Movement in America was thriving in the 1980s and that included rural Oklahoma, and somehow, a Texas housewife somehow got caught up in it and lost her life.
"There's really no smoking gun. There's no evidence that points to who's responsible for doing this," Brilbeck said.
Deputies believe that she was dragged to the spot where she was found, which means more than one person likely was there.
"We are very confident that there were witnesses to this," Brilbeck said.
While the case file is particularly sparse for a 36-year-old investigation, deputies hope that getting her story out there again could be the key to finally solving it.
"If you know about somebody's death, it weighs on your soul, and it might be time to get that weight off," Brilbeck said.
The Covenant withered away after the FBI arrests.
Survivalist to Testify About Stabbing
Residents Leave In Murder Probe
