Police say incorrect reports could hinder Oklahoma cold case

Ronnie Dean Busick

VINITA, Okla. (AP) – Authorities in northeast Oklahoma say recent reports of witness intimidation are incorrect and can disrupt their investigation into the disappearance of two teenagers nearly 20 years ago.

Craig County Sheriff Heath Winfrey said Wednesday that allegations of “warning shots” being fired in a threat against a witness aren’t true. The allegations are in connection to the case involving Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible.

The teenagers disappeared in 1999 following the killings of Ashley Freeman’s parents. The girls’ bodies were never found.

Winfrey says the false allegations could intimidate and discourage people with knowledge of the teens “from sharing what they know with investigators.”

Ronnie Dean Busick was charged last week with four counts of first-degree murder in the case. Two other suspects in the case have died.