Big Break In 3-Year-Old Weleetka Murders

Emily Baucum, News On 6 and NewsOn6.com

WELEETKA, Oklahoma -- The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking for a key piece of evidence used in the murder of two Weleetka girls in June 2008.

The item is a Glock .40 caliber handgun with the serial number of EKG463US.

9/20/2011 Related Story: Oklahoma Law Enforcement Agency Looking For A Particular Handgun

The OSBI says whoever has the gun is not suspected of any crime, but says it wants the current owner of the handgun to contact the OSBI at 800-522-8017.

The OSBI so far has not explained how it obtained the serial number for the gun or why it believes this particular gun is the murder weapon.

On June 8, 2008, 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal Placker were shot and killed about a 100 yards from Taylor's rural Okfuskee County home.

An autopsy determined Skyla had been shot 8 times and Taylor had been shot 5 times.

The break brings renewed hope -- to a situation that just seemed hopeless for so long. After all, the girls were playing right outside Taylor's home.

"It's really hard to think that two girls got killed and not knowing what happened," said Kayla Berry, neighbor.

The house now sits empty. In fact, it's being torn down. Neighbors say both families moved away from the area sometime after the murders. They just couldn't take the memories.

"I don't think anyone else wanted to live in the house," said neighbor Ron Barnett.

Neighbors say the tragedies may have changed Weleetka forvever.

"Before that, a lot of people didn't even lock their doors around here at night," Barnett said.

Now worry fades to relief -- that the search is on for the murder weapon -- and hopefully, the suspect responsible for ending two lives, too soon.

The gun may be here in Oklahoma but it also could be out of state at this point. The OSBI is offering a $5,000 reward for the handgun.

Back in June 2011, authorities said they were confident that this case would be solved.

6/8/2011 Related Story: Three Years Later, No Arrests In Weleetka Girls' Murder