Tulsa County Charges Filed Against Couple On Run From Authorities

Charges were filed in Tulsa County District Court on Thursday against a man investigators have named a person of interest in the killing of a Northeastern State University professor.

Tiffany Maher was found murdered inside her Tahlequah home on May 31. Her missing car was found a few days later at a Tulsa apartment complex after a News On 6 viewer saw our story and called police.

According to court documents, ex-convict Joshua Schneider now has been charged with child neglect and eluding a police officer. His girlfriend, Heather Black, also has been charged for child neglect.

Schneider and Black got away after leading police on a chase July 18. Schneider's 2-year-old daughter was found inside the car he was driving, left in a wooded area, not visible from the road, near Pine Street and Garnett Road in Tulsa.

The child had no food, water or air conditioning, police said. The temperature was in the mid-90s.

Investigators still haven't revealed why Schneider is a person of interest in the murder, nor have they released the cause of Maher's death.

06/04/2013 Related Story: OSBI Identifies NSU Professor Found Murdered In Tahlequah Home

A probable cause affidavit says an agent witnessed Schneider park his vehicle July 18 at SouthCrest Physical Therapy Center on 101st East Avenue. The agent said she watched as Schneider put his daughter into Black's vehicle and got into the driver's seat.

The agent followed the vehicle until other police units arrived, but when a stop was initiated, a chase began. Tulsa police joined in on the chase, but said it had to be terminated because of unsafe speeds.

According to the document, Black reportedly called a friend and said she and Schneider were on the run from police and gave the location where their car was abandoned. The friend reportedly called 911 and told dispatchers Black said she also abandoned her two daughters at Broken Arrow's Bluff Landing recreational area, the affidavit says.

Nearly three hours after the chase began and 51 minutes after the 911 call was placed, the car and Schneider's daughter were found, documents say. Police said it took nearly an hour for investigators to locate the car and they had to use a TPD helicopter to help locate it.

7/19/2013 Related Story: Person Of Interest In Tahlequah Murder Ditches Car, Toddler In Woods

The girl was treated at a hospital and seen by investigators at the Justice Center after she was released. A pediatrician there told investigators she "had bruising on her back and left flank that was non-specific but was concerning given the history of being locked in an abandoned vehicle after being in a high-speed chase with police."

There were a few reports of possible sightings of Schneider and Black over the weekend, in Muskogee and Robbers Cave State Park, but the couple are still missing.

Schneider also has two other outstanding felony warrants for his arrest, including one for failure to register as a sex offender.

Schneider is white, 5-foot-2 and about 150 pounds, according to Department of Corrections records.

The OSBI also said the 5-foot-2, 228-pound Black now has dark hair, rather than the red hair she had in a photo released last week.

If you spot the couple, call 911 or the OSBI hotline at 1-800-522-8017.