Tips Of Teen Burglary Ring Could Help Solve West Tulsa Murder

Police are getting new information about a west Tulsa woman who was beaten to death. They believe teens killed the woman, and now more of them are talking to police about the crime.

The victim's cousin said she hopes this is the break police need.

Just last week, police said they had no leads in the case, but since then, police have learned more about the ring of teen burglars they say killed an innocent woman.

10/15/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police: Teen Burglary Ring Responsible For Killing Woman, Setting House On Fire

"Are we any closer to solving the murder? I don't know," said Tulsa Police Sergeant, Dave Walker.

Christen Welch's brutal murder last month shocked everyone, especially her family.

"She was loving, caring, she loved her kids very much," Welch's cousin said.

Her death has taken police for twists and turns, revealing a teenage underworld of drugs and burglary.

"A lot of them 15, 16-years-old, maybe some as young as 12, that are going a little bit unsupervised out there, breaking into houses,” said Walker.

Police believe members of a meth-addicted teenage burglary ring - about 20 members deep - broke into a west Tulsa home, found Welch inside, beat her to death then set the house on fire.

With that theory, but without a real suspect, Walker made a plea last week, asking those involved to start talking.

They did, but about burglaries, not the murder.

"We've got a couple other burglaries that we didn't know about that we're going to be able to solve," Walker said.

He said, while it wasn't what he was looking for, police learned more about the ring and could file several burglary charges.

He also thinks it strange that many of the ring members now have attorneys.

Welch's cousin said what scares her most is knowing that police believe her cousin's death was a random act of violence.

"That's the hardest part in my opinion, and hard to believe,” Welch's cousin said. "And to know that it was just random is shocking to me."

The family released a statement about Welch's three children, saying, "Her children will forever be without their mother...I wish [police] had already found who did this to her, but I understand the complexity of the case."

"The family needs closure, her children need closure,” said Welch's cousin.

Walker said he's not going to quit trying to solve her murder.

He also said the teens have been breaking into homes in west Tulsa and Sand Springs.

Welch's family is begging anyone with information to call police.