Residents of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma were glued to their television sets earlier this week when breaking news reports announced that an arrest had been made in connection with the June 8 shooting deaths of 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker. Unfortunately, those reports proved to be false and did nothing more than provide the victims' families with false hope.
"We thought they caught the guy," Taylor's uncle, Joe Mosher, told Newsok.com. "We thought they had him in custody. It was right there on the TV — breaking news. It turns out, they had nothing. It was really kind of heartbreaking for us."
The incident that caused all the confusion began Tuesday morning at the Weleetka Middle and High School. According to police, they had received a 911 call alerting them of a domestic disturbance outside the school. When investigators arrived on the scene they arrested Russell Neiley of Weleetka. Neiley had allegedly been threatening to take his own life. During the arrest, the lines of communication got crossed and a message went out that there was a hostage situation at the school. That message proved to be false but it quickly spurred other rumors that the man had bragged about being involved in the young girl's murder.
Yesterday, Fox News published the following report on their Website:
"A man deemed mentally ill was taken into custody Tuesday after bragging falsely that he was involved in the fatal shootings of two young girls on a rural country road … Police followed him, then pulled his pickup over near the town of Henryetta and found a bolt-action rifle inside … Investigators determined through extensive questioning that Weleetka resident Russell Neiley was not actually involved in the shooting."
Other news stations, including KOCO.com, have been reporting the exact opposite, as is evident in an article they published on their Website, which read in part:
"Weleetka police told Eyewitness News 5 that the man was intent on killing himself, that he had no gun and that he had never claimed any involvement in the girls' deaths."
The exact details remain unclear and a spokesperson for the Weleetka police was unavailable for comment. Regardless, what is clear is that Neiley had nothing to do with the girls' deaths.
"We have got a guy in custody, but it has nothing to do with the case," Rex Hefner, Okfuskee County jail administrator, told Newsok.com.
The entire ordeal did nothing more than add insult to injury for the victims' families.
The OSBI is offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murders of Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker. 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.
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