Two Girls Found Slain Were Shot 13 Times

Written By: Sam Savage

Published Date: August 13, 2008 Last Edited: August 13, 2008

By MANNY GAMALLO

OKLAHOMA CITY — Two young girls murdered near Weleetka on June 8 were shot a total of 13 times, according to autopsy reports released Friday by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Those reports, which go into graphic detail, noted that the youngest of the two — 11-year-old Skyla Jade Whitaker — was shot eight times. Her best friend, Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, was shot five times, the reports noted.

Both were shot in the legs, torso, neck and base of the skull. The bodies of the girls were found in a shallow ditch about four miles northeast of Weleetka.

The girls had gone for a walk on that sunny Sunday afternoon to the Bad Creek bridge, half a mile north of Taylor’s home.

Authorities said the girls made it to the bridge and were returning to the Placker home when they were gunned down. They were less than 1,000 feet from Taylor’s home when shot.

No arrests have been made yet, though authorities are looking for possibly two killers, because each of the girls was shot with two different caliber bullets. Bullets recovered from the bodies of the girls also show two different sizes, the medical examiner’s reports state.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation believes the killers are from the Weleetka area, given the remote location of the crime scene.

From the autopsy reports, it was evident both girls were facing their killer or killers when gunned down. Authorities said the girls were not sexually molested.

So far, the OSBI has received nearly 600 leads in the case, half of which have been checked.

Agents have also questioned more than 100 people in the hopes of nabbing the killers.

The OSBI knows what caliber bullets and types of guns were used in the slayings, but authorities won’t divulge that information.

They also recovered spent shell casings from the crime scene. They’re not saying whether the casings yielded any fingerprints.

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