Detectives Search Pond For Remains Of Welch Girls Kidnapped In 1999

Investigators continue to search Wednesday for the bodies of two Welch girls who disappeared nearly 20 years ago.

Wednesday, July 31st 2019, 1:24 pm

By: News On 6

Detectives Search Pond For Remains Of Welch Girls Kidnapped In 1999

Investigators continue to search Wednesday for the bodies of two Welch girls who disappeared nearly 20 years ago. This time, Tulsa Police Department's dive team and the Cherokee Nation Marshals are focusing on a pond near the old Picher High School.

The marshals brought out what's called a ROV. It's a very expensive piece of camera equipment they can use to see through the darkest, murkiest water before they put the divers in.

This is day two of this week's efforts to find the bodies of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman. The girls went missing from Welch in 1999 and were never seen again.

Investigators said they were kidnapped. Only one suspect in the case is still alive.

On Tuesday, investigators spent the day searching another area of interest - where one of the suspects lived back when the crimes happened.

Lauria's mom, Lorene, says she wishes this kind of effort had been put into finding the girls two decades ago.

"There's gotta be a check and balance to make sure people are doing their jobs. And that didn't happen, so that's why we're here 19 and a half years later. If things had been done correctly, hopefully we wouldn't have been here now," Lorene Bible said.

We're told we'll hear from investigators at the end of Wednesday's search.

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