Crews search sewer ditches for missing girls

Friday, January 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PICHER, Okla. (AP) -- Authorities are scheduled to resume looking through abandoned mine shafts near this northeastern Oklahoma town today in search of two Welch girls who disappeared more than a week ago. Working on a tip, Tulsa police divers searched a water-filled mine near the community of Picher for any clues to the whereabouts of 16-year-olds Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible. "One of the shafts we're looking at -- the camera didn't reach bottom," Paul Killian, the FBI's senior supervisory resident agent in Tulsa, said Thursday. "We want to exhaust all efforts."

The girls have been missing since the bodies of Miss Freeman's parents, Danny Freeman, 40, and Kathy Freeman, 38, were found in the ruins of a house fire last week. The couple died of gunshot wounds, not flames or smoke from the fire that destroyed their mobile home Dec. 30 about five miles west of Welch on Oklahoma 10, authorities said. Picher is about 10 miles northwest of the crime scene.

The night before the fire, Freeman had told relatives by telephone that the girls and Mrs. Freeman had gone to Pizza Hut in Vinita to celebrate Ashley's 16th birthday. Then about 9 p.m. that night, Miss Freeman's boyfriend stopped by the house to give her a birthday present. The boyfriend stayed about 30 minutes and said everyone was in a good mood when he left, authorities said.

Cars belonging to the family and Miss Bible remained undisturbed at the home. Miss Bible's purse also was at the scene. Authorities have received a half-dozen tips since photos and descriptions of the girls were released. Miss Freeman is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair. Miss Bible is described as 5-3 and weighing 135 pounds with green eyes and brown hair.

Meanwhile, Killian said "we're pretty confident that we need to be in this area." Authorities have an idea about what happened to the girls, but don't know anything specific, he said. Officials haven't ruled out any possible scenarios, Killian said.