On June 8, 2008 a subject or subjects unknown committed a most abominable deed. Two innocent little girls were shot to death and left on a rural Oklahoma road near Weleetka in Okfuskee County. Across the Nation, people mourned and wept for these two –and tried to fathom what kind of person could carry out such a horror. Today marks one year since the grievous act. No one has been arrested for the murders. No one has been named as a suspect. The haunting forensic sketch of a person of interest has marked the upper left corner of this page since it’s release by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, five days after the murders. For me, it has served as a constant reminder of justice unserved –not that one could forget the youthful, lively faces of the victims. I can still remember reading the awful news. I can still remember that feeling of hopelessness and misanthropy that overcame my spirit. And yet, I was but a stranger. I had never heard their voices. I never knew these two. The one consolation was knowing that I, as a human, was not alone in my detestation and despair. And then I think of the family, of those that actually knew these two, and how much more real and tangible –and final– that this loss must have been. So many of us have felt so much. So many of us hope and pray for Justice. It has been one year since 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were stolen away from this earth. It has been one year of heartbreak.
"I can’t find a reason any more to smile." –Peter Placker, grandfather of Taylor Placker.
At 10:30 this morning, the OSBI held a news conference regarding this tragic case. OSBI spokeperson Jessica Brown said more than 7,500 man hours have been spent trying to solve the case. 450 interviews have been conducted. 700 pieces of evidence have been analyzed. One OSBI agent is assigned to the case full time. As many as six agents sometimes work together on the case. Okfuskee County assistant district attorney Maxey Reilly said, "We have had some things come up the last year, the last months that are very promising." The OSBI has crossed state lines in their investigation, but feel strongly that the perpetrator(s) is local because the attack occurred in such a remote area.
The OSBI made it plain that they were not going to discuss the DNA evidence in the case at today’s news conference. "There will be no information on DNA evidence. That’s to protect the integrity of the case. I’ve never been able to talk about it," Brown said. DNA evidence has been discovered by investigators. Jessica Brown told The Oklahoman the evidence was "something of significance" but no details were provided. Press outlets were reporting earlier that information regarding the DNA evidence would come to light this week. That does not seem to be the case now.
Still most perplexing is the question, "why?" No motive has been determined for the brutal murders.
This post will address what is known about the murders and the person (or persons) who committed them. The website dedicated to this case will also be updated with the latest information. Please, read this post. Visit the website. Related posts are also available. Perhaps you can help bring Justice to this case.
"We are one piece of information away from making an arrest. I don’t know why a person with information would not come forward," –Jessica Brown, OSBI.
11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were best friends –inseparable. Skyla had just spent the night at the Placker’s. On June 8, 2008, at about 5:00 PM, the two girls began a walk to the Bad Creek Bridge down the rural Okfuskee County road near Taylor’s home. They would never return.
Taylor’s grandfather, Peter Placker discovered their lifeless bodies about 5:20 PM, in a ditch by the side of the road. Their bodies were located several hundred yards from the Placker’s house.
Autopsies revealed he girls had been shot 13 times with two different guns. One of the weapons was a .40-caliber Glock handgun. The other weapon was smaller in caliber, most likely a .22. Investigators have been withholding information about the second gun because, at this time, certain details about the weapon are known only to the killer. Bullets were found in the girl’s bodies and shell casings were found at the location. No weapon was recovered. Registered Glock owners were asked to bring in their weapons for examination. Nothing significant was found in that effort.
The Placker house is the closest building to the crime scene. Peter Placker’s computer, which was used by Taylor, his granddaughter, was searched to no avail. An extensive search of the area around the crime scene revealed several meth labs within a seven or eight mile radius. One theory that has been considered is that the shootings were drug-related –an effort to hide illegal activity. The next building in close proximity is the Arbeka Baptist Church –about a mile away. Marvin James Lowe, 52, the church’s pastor, was charged with 14 counts of lewd molestation, one count of rape by instrumentation, and one count of lewd exhibition of person. He was arrested in January of this year. The victims were children that attended his church with their families. The case was not connected to the double-homicide.
OSBI Forensic Artist Harvey Pratt met with persons described as witnesses to draw a composite sketch of a person of interest. OSBI spokesperson Jessica Brown said it’s unknown whether the person depicted in the forensic sketch really exists. The sketch can be seen in the upper left corner of this page. The man was reportedly seen standing near a white pickup truck near the time and location of the murders of Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Placker. The person was described as an American Indian –possibly part Caucasian, approximately six feet tall, slender build, with black hair tied in a pony tail. His clothing was described as a blue or gray long-sleeve shirt, faded jeans, and a black baseball cap. He was reportedly driving a white Ford or Chevy single-cab pickup truck with narrow chrome striping down the side. The vehicle had an Oklahoma license plate.
A multicounty grand jury returned no indictments after questioning at least three men who had fallen under suspicion in the homicides. Among those brought in for questioning are Toney Kelough Jr., Mike Gaddy, Dustyn Dailey, Larry Peyton Smith, and Windy Espinosa. The public was not allowed access to the hearings. You can read more about the grand jury investigation, which concluded last September, here.
A memorial service will be held tonight at 7:00 PM at the Weleetka High School auditorium. The First Baptist Church of Weleetka is conducting the service.
A reward in excess of $30,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murders of 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker of Weleetka and 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker of Henryetta. The two girls were found shot to death in a ditch next to a dirt road just outside the town of Weleetka. If anyone has information, they should either call the OSBI hotline at 1-800-635-8477 or the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Office.
Please, if you have any information about this case, come forward. We don’t want to watch another year go by without Justice.
Related Links
Weleetka Double Homicide – Dedicated Site at CrimeShadows.com
America’s Most Wanted – Unknown Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker Killer
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