August 19th, 2008
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Super Member
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Ephrata,
Pennsylvania
(Lancaster County)
Age: 26
Posts: 721
Rep Power: 6
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Could this happen in Pennsylvania?
If so, what would you do in response to such a letter?
Quote:
There is NO such data base that the public knows about in the state of Oklahoma.
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40 guns tested in girls' deaths
Tulsa World ^| 8/19/08 | Manny Gamalla
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:03:48 AM by T-Bird45
Agents test fire weapons to narrow leads in the June 8 killing of the girls near Weleetka.
WELEETKA — More than three dozen guns from the Weleetka area were test fired over the weekend as authorities worked to narrow their leads into the June 8 slayings of two girls.
Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said more than 60 letters were sent out to registered owners of .40-caliber handguns, asking them to voluntarily submit their weapons for testing on Saturday and Sunday at the Okfuskee County Courthouse at Okemah.
Brown said about 40 of those owners showed up with their guns, which were test fired outside the courthouse.
She said about five owners contacted the OSBI to say they no longer owned the weapons, although they did provide the names of the new owners.
"We'll be checking on them," Brown said, as well as the 15 or so registered gun owners who did not volunteer for the test firings.
The fact that the OSBI is looking for a .40-cailber handgun is the newest revelation into the murders of Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13.
Both were shot several times and left for dead about four miles northeast of Weleetka. Two guns were used in the killings, although authorities never would identify either one of the calibers used — until now.
Brown would not identify the other caliber of bullet used in the slayings.
She said OSBI agents have yet to analyze the bullets from those test firings to see if they match the bullet used in the slayings of the girls.
Also, Brown noted, agents know the make of the .40-caliber gun used in the slayings, although she would not divulge that information.
OSBI agents have also tracked the sales of .40-caliber ammunition sold in the area, "and there's been plenty," Brown said.
State agents are still working on the theory that two shooters were involved, and that they are from the Weleetka area.
Agents have already noted that given the remote location of the crime scene, the killers would have to be familiar with the area. The nearest highway is U.S. 75, about three miles away.
The girls were shot a total of 13 times. The youngest, Skyla, was shot eight times, according to the state medical examiner.
Of the two, Skyla was shot the most with the .40-caliber weapon, according to Brown. Autopsy reports released a week ago said spent bullets were recovered from both bodies.
The medical examiner noted two different sizes of bullets, which were described as small- and medium caliber.
Skyla and Taylor were described as best friends. On that Sunday afternoon, Skyla was visiting Taylor at her home when they decided to go for a walk to the Bad Creek bridge, about a half-mile north of the Placker home.
Authorities said the two had made it to the bridge and were returning to Taylor's home when they were ambushed. Their bodies were found by Taylor's father around 5:30 p.m. that day in a shallow roadside ditch, fewer than 1,000 feet from the Placker home.
A makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and crosses still marks the crime scene.
From the outset, OSBI agents have been mum on the findings of their investigation.
What was known was that they recovered spent bullet casings from the scene, along with a tire track. They've also located some witnesses who were in the general area around the time of the killings.
They are still looking for an elusive person of interest who also was seen in that area.
That person was described as a Native American male, wearing a long ponytail. He was described as in his mid-30s with a slender build. He was seen driving a white Ford or Chevy pickup truck.
Since June 8, OSBI agents, aided by the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office, plus other state and federal officers, have been working to solve the crime.
Several weeks ago, the OSBI released part of the recording of the 911 call made by Taylor's mother in the hopes someone withholding information into the killings would come forward after hearing the tape.
The killings shocked the nation and drew international attention.
Brown would not say when or if test firings will be conducted for the other caliber gun used in the slayings. She said anyone with information about a .40-caliber weapon should call the OSBI at (800) 522-8017.
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Does anyone else see a problem with this logic?? 
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