Girls found dead near small Oklahoma town

[raccoon]

By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago

TULSA, Okla. - The bodies of two girls were found shot to death in their rural community, along a dirt road the best friends used dozens of times to play and walk to sleepovers. By Tuesday investigators had found no suspects and were unsure of the motive for Sunday's killings of 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker.

Taylor's grandfather found their bodies after his wife got no answer when she called Taylor's cellular phone. The girls were sleeping over at Taylor's house and had decided to take a walk down the desolate road Sunday afternoon.

Peter Placker sobbed uncontrollably Monday as he tried to remember finding the girls' bodies about a quarter of a mile from his house near Weleetka, about 70 miles south of Tulsa.

"I can't describe coming up on it," he said. "I done it once and I can't do it again."
Kevin Rowland, chief investigator with the state medical examiner's office, said the girls each suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

A $14,000 reward was being offered for information about the killings.

Ben Rosser, an agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said it appears unlikely the girls were sexually assaulted. He said investigators were examining evidence including tire tracks, shell casings, ballistics and shoe prints for any possible leads.

Investigators suspect a local person was involved in the killings because they occurred in such an isolated area, Rosser said at a news conference. Possibilities include that it was a random shooting, the girls had intended to meet someone or they may have interrupted a crime that was occurring, he said.

The bodies were found in a community where some drivers leave their keys in their cars and people who live 10 miles apart call themselves neighbors.

Skyla's family said she walked barefoot almost everywhere and rode her bicycle down endless dirt roads. Where she went, her many cats followed, along with her pet goat. Skyla wanted to become a veterinarian, said her grandmother, Claudia Farrow.

Taylor rescued helpless turtles crawling in the middle of the road and wanted to become a forensic scientist like the ones on TV shows, said Placker, who raised the girl.

"She was the best kid I've known," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080610/ap_on_re_us/girls_killed

[livetohike]

1. This is heartbreaking

Senseless......I feel sorry for the families and the community.