Sixteen seems like the first “exciting” birthday in a young person’s life. Thinking about the new freedom that only comes with driving a car, there is intense happiness about the ability to gain some sense of independence (at least for me it was). That is where Lauria and Ashley’s story starts.
In a small quiet town called Welch, Oklahoma, Ashley Freeman prepares to spend the evening celebrating her 16th birthday with her best friend Lauria Bible. The two eat pizza and cake, setting up for a sleepover at the Freemans’ mobile home. But what both the Freeman and Bible families do not know is that as Ashley blows out her candles, the home would soon meet another instance in which fire is present.
At 5:30 am on December 30, 1999, the Welch Police Department was informed of a fire at the Freemans’ property. As the fire was extinguished, first responders stumbled upon the body of Kathy Freeman (Ashley’s mom). Though her body was badly burned, it was clear to investigators that she was shot in the back of the head before the fire began. This led to the possibility that Ashley’s father (Danny Freeman) shot Kathy in the head and took the two girls, fleeing into the blackness that can only be found in the midsts of a prairie.
As this accusation of Danny seemed to tie up all loose ends, the search for the girls halted. Making it seem as though if the Freeman and Bible family wanted to find their girls, they needed to do it themselves.
On December 31, 1999, only a day after their daughter went missing, Lorene and Jay Bible (Lauria’s parents) were given full access to the crime scene. When they entered Kathy’s room, they noticed something off near the couple’s waterbed. Lorene and Jay stumbled upon the body of Danny Freeman. Meeting the same fate as his wife, Danny was shot in the head before his body was burned along with his home. This led both families to become consumed with two questions: how did the investigators miss Danny’s entire body, and where were the girls?
Years went by and it seemed as though the girls faded into the abyss of the prairie. With dead-end leads and no physical evidence, it seemed as though the girls would never have justice. There is silence when you enter a rural area. The omission of sound and light pollution leaves one with an uneasy feeling. A feeling in which one can feel simultaneously secluded, but on edge with a fear of being watched. In Welch, Oklahoma, I can only assume this feeling fled into the minds of all of its citizens. As the story around the girls came with twists and turns (better explain in Jax Miller’s book Hell in the Heartland), the core is that two young women were taken and never seen again. I can only imagine the heartbreak felt by their families who continue to look for their bodies today. Knowing that their daughter, cousin, grandchild, etc was lost somewhere within the mines and reminded of their presence with every wind chill.
In 2018, 68-year old Ronnie Busick was charged with the crime of the murder of Kathy Freeman, Danny Freeman, Ashley Freeman, and Lauria Bible. Though he pled guilty to the crime (serving a 10-year sentence – too short in my opinion, but it seems as though the world has punished Busick more than the justice system may) Busick claims his innocence, stating that his involvement was minor in comparison to Warren Phillip Welch II and David Pennington. Unfortunately, the death of both Welch and Pennington leaves us with more questions than answers.
In the wake of this tragedy comes another layer of desperation, two families who have yet to find the remains of their loved ones. There are speculations that the girls may have been dropped into the abandoned mines in Picher, Oklahoma (a town now overran by the remnants of an over-extraction of led and zinc as well as methamphetamines), but no evidence of the girls have been found.
There are so many layers to this case, this is certainly just a jumping-off point. This blog is meant to be a forum for discussion. Whether you are someone like me, who oddly finds the research and telling of true crime as a way to ease my anxieties, or someone normal, there are cases that need to be discussed, families that need justice, and a community that needs to be created so we can look out for one another. Stories like these are terrifying, but in a way, it gives us an opportunity to look deep into our fears. To understand that we cannot control the world around us, but we can do whatever it takes to make it a better place.
If you or someone you know have any information about Lauria and/or Ashley’s whereabouts, I urge you to leave a tip on Lorene Bible’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Find-Lauria-Bible-BBI-211300375881207/). No tip is too small. It takes a village to bring justice, so please, try to help find these girls.
For more information about this case, I HIGHLY recommend that you read Jax Miller’s book Hell in the Heartland. I will be reviewing both her book as well as the HBO series later on this blog.
Please feel free to comment with any thoughts on this post. As I said, I am the type of person who lacks the ability to control her sarcasm and anxiety, so this is (hopefully) going to become a space in which we can interact with one another. I am also encouraging any constructive criticism you may have, as well as other cases you would like me to discuss.
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Sources Used for the Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Lauria_Bible_and_Ashley_Freeman