Posted on 09/25/2005 9:17:26 AM PDT by kenth
ADA - The bodies of a 16-year-old cheerleader and a 47-year-old man were found Saturday, less than 24 hours after the girl was seen getting into a pickup at her high school.
Troopers in an Oklahoma Highway Patrol helicopter spotted the bodies of Caitlin Elizabeth Wooten and Jerry Don Savage shortly before 10 a.m., said Mark Bratcher, a spokesman for the city of Ada.
Both had been shot in an apparent murder-suicide, said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Ada High School Principal Bill Nelson fought back tears Saturday as students gathered less than 50 yards away from the school near the parking space designated for Wooten.
"Right there is where it happened, and nobody even noticed it," said a visibly shaken Nelson, a principal for nearly 30 years.
"What we can't understand is what made her get into the car with him. No one noticed anything unusual. And now, the light from that little girl is gone forever."
Wooten was apparently kidnapped by her mother's ex-boyfriend Friday afternoon as she left school.
Dozens of Ada High School students, many from the AHS Color Guard of which Wooten was a member, gathered on campus Saturday.
Teachers, counselors and youth ministers were there to help students cope with the weekend's events. Many students wept openly; others simply hugged classmates and wore photos of Wooten pinned to their clothing.
"Right now, it's pretty tough," said Kris Earle, Ada High School band director. "But we'll get through this. It will be a slow, painful process, but we'll get through it."
Investigators believe Savage kidnapped Wooten because of a dispute with the girl's mother, Donna Wooten. Court records show Donna Wooten filed for a protective order against Savage Aug. 30 after he attempted to kidnap her and was arrested. He was out of jail on bond when he allegedly kidnapped Caitlin Wooten, Brown said.
Nelson and Ada Schools Superintendent Pat Harrison said school officials could not simply ban Savage from the school grounds because he had never caused a problem on campus and because he had a daughter of his own at school there.
Wooten was last seen about 3 p.m. Friday getting into a green pickup that authorities later discovered was being driven by Savage. That pickup was found Friday night on the west side of Ada.
The owner of the land where the bodies were found, Saye Sliger, was arrested as an accessory to the crime and was being held Saturday in the Pontotoc County Jail.
A statewide Amber Alert was activated following the abduction.
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 7:30 tonight in the student center of Ada High School.
Contributing: Associated Press
Too bad he was out of jail on bond.
Yep. I wonder how high the bond was set. Attempted kidnapping should make for a pretty high bond I would have thought.
There simply are no words to express the sadness this outcome brings to my heart. The Bible assures believers though that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf to pass our thoughts and prayers on to our Father in a language Heaven understands. That part of the Holy Spirit that looks out after me is getting a real workout this morning. God bless the families and care for the souls of the two who are in His presence now.
They arrested the landowner as an accessory?! Whats that about?!
The judge and defender should be in jail for accessory for allowing a low enough bond he could be out of jail!
Prayers for this girl's family and may God hold her close.
"This is from my hometown. I went to that school."
That's very sad. May this poor girl rest in peace, and may the sick SOB who killed her rot in hell.
This is so sad. Ada isn't very far from where we live. You just have to wonder why they'd let this guy out on bail, when he'd just tried to do the same thing to this girl's mother.
From local news reports, the guy is being arrested as an accessory because he's friends with the killer, and it is believed he was helping the killer either by allowing him to use the property for the killing, or to hide just after he kidnapped the girl.
How awful also for his own daughter who attends this same school.
I heard the bond was $25,000. I don't know how this works, but if I heard it correctly, he probably walked out of jail for $2500.
I'm not sure. I don't know if there's more involvement, but the landowner evidently moved the pickup used since it was found elsewhere.
"How awful also for his own daughter who attends this same school."
Some father - leaves his daughter to fend for herself while still in school because his love life isn't what he wants.
Let's hope the killer's daughter has a mother involved in her life.
Yeah. Just awful all the way around.
Some of the boyfriends these single mothers bring home!!! You don't even want to know how often they rape or molest their girlfriends' kids. Another tragic result of no-fault divorce.
B.S.!!! if this was a kid that had a toy gun or a full auto spitball launcher (or *GASP* a Bible) they would have been all over this crap.
I doubt a bible would get anyone booted from AHS. You'd have to know the school and the area to understand; pretty much a solid conservative community. I agree with you though, schools' zero tolerance policies are ridiculous.
It's moot anyway I think, since the guy evidently did not cause any problems until just a few days ago and anyone can drive right up to the school parking lot. I think the biggest fault, other than with the murderer, is with the court that let him go on attempted kidnapping charges for so low a figure.
If Miz is right about the actual bond that has to be posted, it's even worse. I don't know how that works. I always assumed that you had to put up that exact amount. Then again, I had always thought that "life in prison" should mean exactly that, yet people get paroled from "life".
I'm currently nearing the end of my 5th high-risk pregnancy (sadly, only two of our little ones have made it thus far). I came close enough to not surviving my daughter's birth, and my husband is so concerned about my surviving this one that we are making this child our last.
I told him that if anything did happen to me, I wanted him to wait until our children were in their teens before finding love again. It's not that I don't want him to be happy, I do, and I certainly won't be jealous from my grave. Simply put, I don't want some psycho witch or closet abuser to come into my children's lives when they are little ones and at her mercy.
You see, I know my husband well. If he discovered that she was abusing our precious babies, he wouldn't dial 911 for police intervention - he would dial 911 for a ambulence to pick up her corpse. He loves our children more than he could ever love himself and lives his life for them.
He readily agreed. He said he wouldn't even be interested in dating someone until our youngest was 15; he'd be too busy raising our kids to think about a relationship. It's a shame we have to think this way, because my husband is a glorious man and I am thankful everyday to have him in my life.
As for me, if anything happened to him, I have no intention of marrying again. I was lucky enough to marry the man that God intended for me, and he is my love for life. Caring for my family and creating a loving and safe home is my only priority.
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