The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation [OSBI] made public its suspicions that two shooters are responsible for the June 8 shooting deaths of 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker.
According to OSBI spokesperson Jessica Brown, ballistic tests show that two different-caliber weapons were used during the double homicide.
"The OSBI suspected that there were two weapons early on in the case, but it wanted to wait for ballistics to confirm that," Brown told Newsok.com.
Investigators have declined to release details on the types of weapons that were used.
Skyla and Taylor's bodies were discovered Sunday evening in a ditch along County Line Road in Weleetka, Oklahoma. According to the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office, Skyla had been spending the night at Taylor's house, and the two had decided to take a walk along the dirt road to the bridge over Bad Creek. It was something both girls had done many times before, and the bridge was only about a quarter of a mile from Taylor's house, where she lived with her grandfather and legal guardian, Peter Placker. When the girls failed to return home in a timely manner, Placker called Taylor's cell phone but got no answer. Mildly concerned by the lack of response, Placker set out on foot to locate the two girls.
"He got 200 to 300 yards north of the home and found the girls on the side of the road," OSBI special agent Ben Rosser told Adaeveningnews.com. "Both girls had been shot multiple times. Both girls were dead at the scene. At that time, he (Placker) took a cell phone from one of the girls and made a 9-1-1 telephone call to notify the authorities."
Authorities received the 9-1-1 call at approximately 5:40 p.m.
When crime scene investigators arrived at the remote location, they began the meticulous task of collecting all of the evidence at the scene. According to Rosser, investigators cataloged spent shell casings, footprints and tire tracks, all sent to the OSBI crime lab in Oklahoma City.
"We will bring all of the resources we need to try to help in our investigation," Rosser said.
Autopsies on the two victims were conducted on Monday, at which time investigators revealed that the girls had been shot in the head and chest. Investigators have yet to clarify how many times each girl was shot. It also remains unclear whether the girls were sexually assaulted, pending the completion of DNA testing on evidence collected during the autopsies.
The theory among investigators is that the perpetrator(s) involved in the killings is/are local to the community, given the remote location of the murder scene, which America's Most Wanted has described as "not the kind of place someone would happen upon."
According to Skyla's friends, she loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up. Taylor was also an animal lover but had decided on a different path for her life and looked forward to becoming a forensic scientist. Both girls enjoyed learning, and together they attended Graham School District.
"Taylor was the smartest in the whole class," classmate Bryan Smith, 13, told Newsok.com, adding, "and I remember Skyla was always laughing and always had a smile on her face. If you look at her pictures, she always had a smile."
In a separate interview with the Associated Press, Taylor's aunt, Nell Mosher, said, "It's the most tragic thing that I've ever seen. They were just two precious little babies; they were good girls."
Taylor's funeral service is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Friday at the Dewar First Baptist church. Skyla's funeral services also will take place Friday, at 2:00 p.m., at the First Baptist Church at Henryetta.
A bank account has been set up to help the girls' families pay for the funeral expenses. Donations can be sent to Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.
The OSBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murders. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OSBI hotline at 800-522-8017 or the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office at 918-623-1122.