1st Anniversary Of 2 Missing People In Turley; Family Looks For Answers

The Tulsa County Sheriff's office said investigators have identified a person of interest in the case of a mother and son who have now been missing for a year from Turley.

Nobody has been arrested or charged. The family of Cookie Parton and her son, Dewayne Selby, are at a loss for what happened to them and why.

This case is full of questions and the family believes someone out there has those answers. They’re asking people to come forward, no matter how small the piece of information might seem.

They said, at 80 years old, Cookie Parton, got around more like a 60-year-old.

She still worked at a bookstore, planted flower gardens, and was active in the horse business, that she had partnered with her son, Dewayne, and his friend, Jack Grimes for 20 years.

When Dewayne, then Cookie went missing last October, it made the family worry about their safety, which is why Cookie's daughter is reluctant to have her face shown.

"Going in her room, seeing all her stuff, her dog," Cookie’s Daughter Donna said that’s been the hardest part of having her mother gone without a trace.

Cookie had moved in with Donna and her husband a few years ago but was still independent.

Dewayne and Jack Grimes planned to go to a horse show in Dallas and buy a horse but never showed. When Cookie heard that, she went to the police Monday morning to file a missing person’s report.

Police needed Dewayne's social security number so Cookie decided to drive to Turley to Jack and Dewayne's house, get Dewayne's card and come home the same day. It was supposed to be a simple two-hour trip.

"'I'm not staying the night, just going up there to get the information and I said, 'okay, be careful,'" said Donna.

When Cookie didn't come home, Donna and her husband went looking for her Tuesday but got no answers. They were reluctantly headed back home when they saw Cookie's car on the side of the highway.

"The ignition was popped and the key was in the ignition. She never used the key, never ever used the key and her pepper spray was laying in the seat and it's always connected to her purse," said Donna.

She said Cookie's car was always a mess; filled with books, CDs, and gloves. But this time, the car was spotless.

They called investigators, who found a video of Cookie taking one of Jack and Dewayne's newest ranch hands to the Reasor’s in Owasso, showing Cookie's pepper spray hanging from her purse.

That trip makes no sense to Donna because her mother never drove after dark because of her eyesight.

She said Jack was known for giving a helping hand to someone who was homeless, or an addict, or down on their luck.

"He'd been there about two months before this happened. My brother said he just felt sorry for him and, do a few chores and we'll let you stay in the barn," Donna said.

She said the ranch hand had access to the house to shower and do laundry. The food he and Cookie bought in Owasso was still in Jack and Dewayne's refrigerator.

Donna said there was only one phone number on Cookie's bill they didn't recognize. It was called right before the trip to Reasor’s and right afterward, to a homeless camp in Tulsa.

No money has been taken out of Cookie's accounts in a year.

Jack’s car was found in Mohawk Park. After Jack's body was found a couple of weeks after he and Dewayne went missing, less than a mile from their house, investigators spent days searching the property and dragging the pond, but found no signs of Dewayne or Cookie.

"There should've been a purse, clothes, something, but there's just nothing anywhere. You just don't disappear into thin air, not 2 of them," said Donna

She said against all odds, she was still holding out hope.

Anyone with information that could help investigators can call the Tulsa County Sheriff's office at 918-596-8661.