Authorities Still Investigating Cherokee County Cold Cases

The Cherokee County District Attorney is pushing for new information in the county's cold cases.

A recent tip just led to charges in a ten year old cold case.  Now, investigators want to keep up the momentum.  Investigators say the names and faces from their cold cases are on their minds every day.  They want them to be on the public’s mind as well.

Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault says “it’s something you think about every day.”

Donna Kingston, Paul Knight, Jessie Yancey, Shawn Yanez, David Lewis, and Stephen Adams - they are all missing - their disappearances suspicious and unsolved.

“Someone out there knows where they're at.  Someone out there knows what happened,” said Jack Thorp, Cherokee County District Attorney.

As for the others - Deborah Cordell, Jackyie Terrance, Inez Carpenter, and Billy Ray Knott - they were found murdered.  Their killers are still out there.

“It's aggravating.  You feel like you're coming up short on something you should be able to solve,” stated Chennault.  “In some of these cases there's a bad guy out there that's getting away with killing someone.  And we just can’t allow that to happen.”

One of the most notable cold cases from the area is Stephen Adams.

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Members of the Sheriff's Office, Tahlequah Police Department, and the District Attorney's office are all working together to keep these 10 cases and their stories alive. Chennault says “it’s not our job to give up.  We're here to give as much closure as we can to the family.  Justice.”

“We just need the right person to come forward,” said DA Jack Thorp.

If you have any information about any of these cases, contact the District 27 Cold Case Hotline at 918-772-7568.
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