Craig County Sheriff talks about Welch girls case

The search for two Welch teenagers who vanished nearly five years ago will soon be moving to southeast Kansas. <br/><br/>Craig County authorities say <b><a class="headlinelink" href="http://www.kotv.com/main/home/searchKOTV.asp?mainSearch=Jeremy

Wednesday, June 1st 2005, 11:31 am

By: News On 6

The search for two Welch teenagers who vanished nearly five years ago will soon be moving to southeast Kansas.

Craig County authorities say Jeremy Jones confessed to the murders of Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman back in January, but that confession was just made public Tuesday. Investigators say Jones told them he was high on meth when he confronted Freeman's parents over an unpaid debt in December of 1999.

They say Jones said he killed the Freeman's and set their home on fire, but didn't know the girls were there. Jones told investigators he offered to give the girls a ride, and when they tried to escape, he killed them and dumped their bodies in a Kansas mine.

Based on that confession, Craig County investigators will be heading up to Kansas at the end of this month. They'll join a team of investigators from Kansas and a Colorado company that specializes in searching for secret gravesites.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims says investigators will once again be searching mine shafts. This time itâ€™s in Kansas. And their getting some help from some Colorado experts.

Craig County investigators say Jeremy Jones told them he murdered Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman and dumped their bodies in a Kansas mine shaft. Now, investigators will join Kansas officials in searching that area.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation hired NecroSearch International for their expertise in ground- and underground searches. They team of volunteer investigators and scientists from Fort Collins, Colorado use special equipment to find and unearth targets.

Craig County Sheriff Jimmie Sooter[pictured] says itâ€™s going to be a massive search because the area Jones identified is used as a dumping ground by the locals. "Itâ€™s an awesome task because we have in that area at least five years of trash to go through."

Sheriff Sooter says he's cautiously optimistic about the search, but both families of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman remain pretty skeptical about Jeremy Jones confession.