OK LAURIA BIBLE & ASHLEY FREEMAN: Missing from Welch, OK - 30 Dec 1999 - Age 16 & 16

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Lauria spent the evening of December 30, 1999 at her friend Ashley Freeman's trailer home near Welch, Oklahoma to celebrate the latter's birthday. Lorene Bible, Lauria's mother, said that Kathy Freeman, Ashley's mother, took the girls to the Pizza Hut in Vinita, Oklahoma during the evening.

Lorene's statement contradicts authorities' belief that Kathy and the girls visited Big Bill's Barbecue in the 350 block of North Wilson Street in Vinita, Oklahoma. The group traveled in Kathy's blue Toyota and picked up feed for the Freemans' livestock, as well as water from Kathy's mother's house.

The Freemans' trailer did not have running water and was primarily heated by a wood-burning stove in the living room. The family was described as avid hunters and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoyed living in the remote location. The trailer was equipped with telephone service and electricity. There were numerous firearms stockpiled inside the home and Ashley assisted with hunting for food.

Ashley's boyfriend, Jeremy Hurst, told investigators that he met the women at a local Wal-Mart after their dinner. He gave Ashley a silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant embedded with her birthstone for her birthday present. Hurst said that he returned to the Freemans' home with the women shortly afterwards. He said that nothing appeared to be amiss and he departed at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Ashley's father, Danny Freeman, had relatives over during the evening who claimed that Hurst actually left at 10:30 p.m. Authorities said that no outgoing telephone calls were made from the family's home during the night. Kathy planned to take Ashley to her driver's test the following morning. Lauria had a dental appointment scheduled for the following morning and planned to leave the trailer shortly beforehand.

A passing motorist reported a fire in the vicinity of the Freemans' residence at approximately 6:00 a.m. the following morning. Authorities discovered Kathy's remains inside the debris during the afternoon. Investigators initially stated that they were positive no other bodies were inside the home and did not secure the location during the overnight hours.

Danny was considered the prime suspect in his wife's murder; authorities believed that he may have abducted Ashley and Lauria and traveled elsewhere, but all of the Freemans' vehicles were parked near their home. Lauria's car was also nearby and the keys were inside the ignition. Lorene discovered Lauria's purse propped inside the trailer, but there was no other evidence of the girls at the scene.

Jay Bible, Lauria's father, discovered Danny's body in the bedroom of the mobile home during the following morning. The Bibles returned to the trailer in an attempt to gather more evidence as to their daughter's whereabouts. Both Danny and Kathy had died as the result of gunshot wounds. Danny's body was partially covered by debris inside the bedroom, explaining why his remains were overlooked.

The medical examiner determined that Danny's right collarbone had been fractured prior to the entrance of the fatal wound. The coroner determined that Kathy died at approximately 5:00 a.m. Investigators believe that the fire was intentionally set in an attempt to destroy evidence of the crimes. An extensive search for the girls produced no evidence as to their whereabouts.

Lorene told reporters that Ashley had been saving her money to purchase a used vehicle in December 1999. Lorene said that she believed Ashley had accumulated $1200 in her savings account.

Hurst said that Ashley actually claimed to have saved between $3000 and $4000 for the car. She was employed part-time at Roscoe's, a convenience store in Welch. Hurst said that Ashley did not have a bank account; she kept her money sealed in a Tupperware container in the family's freezer. Authorities were unable to locate any evidence of the cash after the fire.

Lorene stated that Ashley and Danny had been arguing earlier in the month regarding the vehicle. She claimed that Ashley wanted to purchase a different car than Danny had desired. Danny reportedly had a violent temper and had been charged with abusing his son, Shane, in 1998. He was acquitted of the charges in 1999. Danny consistently protested the allegations.

Oklahoma law enforcement officer David Hayes shot and killed the Freemans' son, Shane, in 1998. Hayes was on duty at the time of the incident. Shane was on a country road in possession of a stolen vehicle at the time Hayes encountered him. The car had apparently broken down. Shane allegedly reached behind his back and pulled a gun, prompting Hayes to fire at him. The incident was investigated and Hayes' actions were found to be justified.

Hayes and his brother, who is also a law enforcement officer, said they both took polygraph exams after the girls' 1999 disappearances. Neither of them are considered suspects in the investigations. Hayes and his brother have not participated in the active cases.

Several of Danny's relatives believe that local law enforcement was behind the murders and the girls' disappearances, but no evidence has been located to support the theory. Freeman family members also believe that Shane was attempting to flee the scene at the time of his death and claim that his autopsy report contradicts the official verdict. Photos of Danny, Kathy and Shane are posted with this case summary.

There was speculation that Ashley and Lauria were involved in the Freemans' murders after the searches failed to produce evidence as to their whereabouts. Investigators stated that there was nothing in either girl's background to suggest they could be capable of such brutal acts.

Ashley was a member of the Welch High School basketball team, although she was unable to participate in the 1999 season as the result of an ankle injury. Lauria was a cheerleader and planned to become a cosmetologist after her high school graduation. Both girls were viewed as being well-behaved teenagers in 1999.

Several possible suspects were investigated over the years, including the serial killers Tommy Lynn Sells and Jeremy Brian Jones. In April 2018, eighteen years after the two teens vanished, police announced that they had made a serious break in the case.

Authorities now believe that three men, identified as Warren Phillip "Phil" Welch II, David A. Pennington and Ronnie Dean Busick, went to the trailer that night, killed Danny and Kathy, set the fire and took the girls. Pennington and Welch are now deceased and Busick has been arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of arson.

According to investigators' theory, Ashley and Lauria were kept alive for an unknown number of days after they were abducted. The three suspects took Polaroid photos of the girls while they were captives. They told multiple people they were holding them, and showed them the pictures.

Busick is awaiting trial for Ashley and Laura's murders. Authorities still hope to recover the girls' bodies, and the case remains under investigation. Foul play is suspected in their cases due to the circumstances involved.

Charley Project -
Wikipedia -
edited by staff to add media link
 
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Latest search for missing Welch girls’ remains ends without significant finds​

Authorities ended the latest search for the remains of two teenage Welch girls who disappeared in 1999 on Tuesday afternoon without finding anything significant.

Several locations were excavated on property where a now-deceased suspect, David Pennington, once lived.

The search was called off about 3:40 p.m. after nothing significant was found at four sites that eventually blended together in a 30-foot-by-20-foot area near an alley and a driveway.
 

Missing Welch Girls: New search planned Friday for girls' remains in Picher​

The search for two Welch girls begins again Friday as crews plan another operation in Picher.

A K9 team from Arkansas is coming in on Friday to search an area in Picher where the girls' remains could be.

Bible's uncles have been working to clear the area for the new search and potential dig, according to the family.

Friday's search is the latest of several efforts in the Picher area to find the remains after tips from Ronnie Busick who was convicted in the girls' deaths last year.
 
I was just reading about Picher, the place where the searches are taking place. It's literally a ghost town now because it was deemed the most toxic city in the USA! Then tornadoes were the final blow. I wonder if this allows law enforcement more access to searching land?

 

FAMILY CONTINUES SEARCH FOR BODIES OF 2 GIRLS MURDERED IN WELCH​

A new search for Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman came up empty on Thursday.

The family said they'll never give up the search.

Investigators resume search for bodies of Welch girls

Authorities in Craig County are continuing the search for the bodies of two teenage girls who went missing over 20 years ago.

Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman vanished in Picher in December 1999 when Freeman's parents were found murdered and their home set on fire.

Craig County investigator Craig Stansill said they had to pause the search last year after the excavator broke.

Investigators spent Thursday searching the memorial site, which was the last known place the girls were kept alive before they were murdered.

 

FAMILY CONTINUES SEARCH FOR BODIES OF 2 GIRLS MURDERED IN WELCH​

A new search for Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman came up empty on Thursday.

The family said they'll never give up the search.

Investigators resume search for bodies of Welch girls

Authorities in Craig County are continuing the search for the bodies of two teenage girls who went missing over 20 years ago.

Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman vanished in Picher in December 1999 when Freeman's parents were found murdered and their home set on fire.

Craig County investigator Craig Stansill said they had to pause the search last year after the excavator broke.

Investigators spent Thursday searching the memorial site, which was the last known place the girls were kept alive before they were murdered.


Looks like it's been a year since the last search. At least they know where not to look this year.
 

The Welch Girls: A look inside the decades-old Oklahoma cold case​

After celebrating a birthday on an ordinary evening in December 1999, Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible spent the night at Ashley's home in Welch, Oklahoma.

It was the last time the girls were seen alive.

This is the story of the Welch Girls.

Part I: The Crime​

Picher was once a bustling mining town near the Oklahoma-Kansas border. Built around zinc and lead mining, the small town contributed to war efforts during World War I and World War II. For years, the materials mined ensured Picher had a booming economy.

MUCH MORE AT LINK
 
I can't believe it's been that long. I bet the families can. Every single day. They would be approaching 30 yrs old now.
 

The only person ever held responsible in the high-profile disappearance of two teen girls from the scene of a double homicide in late 1999 is about to be released from prison.

Ronnie Dean Busick, 71, is set for release from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ Lexington Correctional Center on May 19, said Kay Thompson, acting chief administrator of communications at DOC.

Lauria’s mother, Lorene Bible, said she was shocked by the development because she expected Busick to serve eight years in prison.

“The state didn’t tell me — it was just word on the street that, boom, got confirmed yesterday,” she told the Tulsa World on Friday.

<snip>
In August 2020, Busick, the only suspect still living, pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and received a 10-year prison sentence, plus five years’ probation.

The DOC spokeswoman said Busick received credit for county jail time he served while he was awaiting trial, plus he earned credits to reduce his sentence under state law that applies to DOC inmates who receive outstanding evaluations for such things as work, education, hygiene and maintenance of living area.
 

Lauria Bible’s family calls on OK Governor to halt the release of convicted felon​

State Rep. Steve Bashore voiced his displeasure with the release of a convicted felon who took part in a quadruple murder in Craig County and the kidnapping of two teenage girls.

Ronnie Busick, 71, will be released from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections on May 19. He pleaded guilty in 2020 and was sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence on a reduced charge of accessory to felony murder to the brutal slayings of Danny and Kathy Freeman and the kidnapping and presumed deaths of Lauria and Ashley.

“I would ask decision makers and those who prosecuted this individual, what would you say to the families?” Bashore said in a prepared statement.Bashore proposed the question “What if these heinous acts impacted your loved ones and your families? Would the outcome be different?”

Busick was credited with three years of time served in the Craig County jail and good behavior shaved off five years from the 10-year sentence.

‘There are individuals currently serving lengthier sentences in our state prisons who will continue doing so for much lower level crimes,” Bashore said.

Releasing Busick is horrific for the families and an absolute travesty, he said.


Brodrick, who has spearheaded a social media platform dedicated to Lauria and Ashley’s case, pleaded for the site’s 31,000 followers to contact Gov. Kevin Stitt and ask him to intervene and keep Busick locked up behind bars.
“Today’s events should be enough to show anyone that we have to do better for our children! Oklahoma our children aren’t safe when predators are allowed back on the streets so fast!”
“23 years, 5 months, and 2 days of us, Lauria Bible’s family searching for her and the only man still alive that took part is out of prison in less than three years!!”
FACEBOOK: FIND LAURIA BIBLE – BBI, MAY 1, 2023

Busick will have 24 hours after his release to report for supervised probation, which will last for one year, according to Bashore’s office.
 
Ten years and good behavior shaved FIVE? HALF his time? Maybe the bad behavior of doing the crime should add to it as much as good later taking off. It certainly shouldn't HALVE it. OUTrageous.
 

A new bill named for the two teenage victims in one of Oklahoma's most notorious cold cases would require anyone convicted of accessory to murder to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Filed this week by Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, House Bill 2946 is named Lauria and Ashley's Law in honor of 16-year-olds Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, who authorities say were kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed in 1999.

The bill will be eligible for consideration during the Second Session of the 59th Legislature, which starts in February 2024. If enacted, it would go into effect Nov. 1, 2024.

The bill was filed in response to the release May 19 of Ronnie Dean Busick
 

A new bill named for the two teenage victims in one of Oklahoma's most notorious cold cases would require anyone convicted of accessory to murder to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Filed this week by Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, House Bill 2946 is named Lauria and Ashley's Law in honor of 16-year-olds Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, who authorities say were kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed in 1999.

The bill will be eligible for consideration during the Second Session of the 59th Legislature, which starts in February 2024. If enacted, it would go into effect Nov. 1, 2024.

The bill was filed in response to the release May 19 of Ronnie Dean Busick
Too late to change his release but hope it passes and saves some others. Who made it the other way-- how did it become 1/2 a sentewnce time to begin with? Someone does these things!!
 

Missing Welch girls memorialized in proposed legislation​

Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, has filed Senate Bill 1199, named for Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, 16-year-olds who disappeared in December 1999 from the Freemans' home in Welch, a small Oklahoma town in Craig County.

Bergstrom’s bill adds accessory to murder in the first and second degree to the list of crimes requiring offenders to serve 85% of their sentences before parole can be considered.
 

Missing Welch girls memorialized in proposed legislation​

Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, has filed Senate Bill 1199, named for Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, 16-year-olds who disappeared in December 1999 from the Freemans' home in Welch, a small Oklahoma town in Craig County.

Bergstrom’s bill adds accessory to murder in the first and second degree to the list of crimes requiring offenders to serve 85% of their sentences before parole can be considered.
IT'S ABOUT DAM TIME SOMETHING WAS DONE SOMEWHERE!!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! The other 2 PIECES OF S**T are dead. They have it worse now than any punishment on earth. GOOD!!!! EVIL BAS*ARDS!!!!
 

Updated: 11:04 AM CDT May 19, 2023
Jonathan Greco
Digital Media Manager

MCALESTER, Okla. —
A man convicted of being an accessory to murder in connection with the death of two teenage girls was released from prison Friday morning.
Ugly b***h!!!!! How could they do this?!!!!! Really?!!!!!! And it's sickening to know that 12 people knew about this. Polaroid pictures. Long gone. Being held in a trailer for 2 weeks!. Repeatedly raped!.
 
Ugly b***h!!!!! How could they do this?!!!!! Really?!!!!!! And it's sickening to know that 12 people knew about this. Polaroid pictures. Long gone. Being held in a trailer for 2 weeks!. Repeatedly raped!.
That's how serious many of our officials and our system take such. Sad isn't it? It is just their paycheck, don't expect them to go above, beyond or even do their job in some cases. It probably isn't in their job description. Yes, sarcasm intended.
 

Lorene Bible on Anniversary of Daughter Lauria Bible’s Death​

TODAY (12/29) marks the 24th anniversary of the disappearance of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, and the brutal deaths of Freeman’s parents. We sat down with Lauria’s mother, Lorene Bible who says all she wants are answers.

“We do stuff every day to find the girls,” said Lorene Bible, Lauria’s Mother.

Lorene Bible says one thought has kept her going for more than two decades.

“I have to find my child, no matter what. I have to find her and do whatever I need to do every day to do that,” said Bible.

Mother shocked to learn man convicted in daughter's death lives nearby​

Dec. 30 marks the anniversary of Lauria Bible’s murder.

Since that day in 1999, it’s been a vicious cycle for her mother, Lorene.

"Twenty-four years, we know as much as we did the day they disappeared," Bible said.


Only one man is convicted in connection to the crimes — Ronnie Busick. He was convicted as an accessory to the murder and sentenced to prison.

His good behavior got him out early. He’s allegedly lived in different places but is now calling Chetopa, Kansas, his home.

The issue is — it's about a half-hour drive from Bible’s home.

"That’s B.S. This man has a walker on wheels, and he’s able to walk the streets of Chetopa. My child is not able to walk anywhere. She’s probably 260 feet down a damn mine shift in this town somewhere. No, I don’t care how feeble he is. He can still say, 'Hey, I’m sorry this happened, here’s where you’re gonna find ‘em,' But he plays his game, so I’ll play my game," Bible said.

Bible spoke to 2 News for two reasons. First, to warn the people of the Chetopa of the man walking among them. Second, to voice frustration. Through the grapevine, not law enforcement, she learned of Busick’s whereabouts.

The Victim’s Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 does not require law enforcement to make those types of notifications, but Bible feels, morally, she’s owed them. In her heart, she believes someone knows where her daughter’s remains are located. There’s someone out there powerful enough to make people keep quiet for 24 years. Bible promises she won’t be quiet, until she finds Lauria.
 

“Lauria and Ashley Law” to be heard during Oklahoma’s next legislative session, hundreds of other bills​

Legislative bills ranging from strengthening prison sentences to putting students who dress as “Furries” in the custody of animal control, are just some of the bills to be introduced in the 59th Oklahoma Legislature.

Oklahoma legislators begin the second session of the 59th Legislature on Feb. 5. A total of 1,210 House Bills, 12 House Joint Resolutions and one House Concurrent Resolution were filed. In the Senate, 841 Senate Bills and 13 Senate Joint Resolutions were filed. Also included in the new session are carryover bills from last year.

Senate bills face a Feb. 29 deadline to advance out of committee and House bills have until April 11 to pass from their respective committee. The session finishes May 31.
 

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