Tulsa Police Divers Search Keystone Lake For Evidence In Murder Investigation

The Tulsa Police Department’s dive team has searched Keystone Lake for clues in a recent murder.

Police arrested a woman after she drove the victim’s car into the lake.  They recovered the vehicle, but are looking for any additional evidence.

Police say members of the dive team found a cell phone, which they say doesn’t look like it’s been in the water long.

When Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found a woman soaking wet near Keystone Lake last week, they had no idea she was a homicide suspect.

They say Marisha Taylor told them she got lost and drove her car into the water, so they took her home and pulled the car out of the lake.

Later, they learned that car belonged to Jeremy Stanford, a man who had been murdered inside a motel room.

9/5/2018 Related Story:  Woman Arrested In Tulsa Motel Homicide

“There was a gun that was used in the homicide and also a backpack that supposedly the suspect had in possession,” said Tommy Barbee with the Tulsa Police Dive Team.  “It was believed that those two items were possibly in the water where the suspect drove the vehicle off in the water.”

The dive team was told Taylor said she left a backpack in the water because it was too heavy to carry.  Police say divers didn’t find the backpack, but they did find a phone.

“One of our divers, when he was doing his search, did locate a cell phone,” said Barbee.  “He actually had a little bit of visibility and, from his observation in the water, it appeared the cell phone hadn’t been there very long.”

They don’t know whether the cell phone is evidence in this case, but Barbee says the time frame fits.  He says sometimes a suspect or witness will come out to the scene to point divers in the direction of where to search, but Taylor refuses to help.

“We’ve searched the area for the objects that we were requested to look for,” stated Barbee.  “The area is clear.  The dive operation is complete.”

The dive team was hoping to find the gun used to kill Stanford, but Taylor told detectives she gave it to someone at a bus station.