2 Guns, 2 Killers? Okla. Police Think So

June 11, 2008— -- Two guns were used to kill the best-friend pair found dead in an Oklahoma ditch Sunday evening, and authorities now say they believe more than one person is responsible for murders.

Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, confirmed to ABC News that two different - caliber weapons were used to kill 13-year-old Taylor Paschel-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker. Brown would not say exactly what types of weapons were used to kill the children because the detail's release might compromise the investigation.

Authorities still have not identified a motive or suspects in the crime, which has left the small town of Weleetka, Okla., on edge. The reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the shooting deaths was raised today to $25,000.

Residents have called Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office to express concern for the safety of their children, knowing that those responsible for murdering two children have not been brought to justice. Authorities have said they believe the killers were local to the rural Oklahoma town, with knowledge of the area. The bodies were found on a dirt road near a busy highway overpass known as a trash-dumping spot.

The girls, described as best friends and among only five female students in the town's shared fifth- and sixth-grade elementary classrooms, had been shot multiple times in the chest and head.

Taylor and her grandparents, also her legal guardians, had moved to the small town of Weleetka from Oklahoma City to escape the city's dangers. Weleetka has a population of 1,014, according to the 2000 Census.

One resident, Cliff Porter, told "Good Morning America" that only a "monster" could be responsible for such a crime. Another, Leann Harrison, said parents are keeping a closer eye on their kids.

"We always felt like she would be safe just walking up and down the road," Claudia Farrow, Skyla's grandmother, said. "But now I don't think anybody's safe."

At a news conference Tuesday, in which authorities announced that they had neither a suspect nor motive nearly 48 hours after the girls were killed, Sheriff Jack Choate did little to talk residents out of their safety concerns.

"We've had a few phone calls from parents that are worried about their children," Choate said. "If it was me, I wouldn't let my kids out walking unless they were with someone they know."

Ben Rosser, special agent for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, said Tuesday that authorities did not believe the girls were sexually assaulted before the murder, but DNA samples and their clothes were still being processed for evidence.

Authorities were looking into tire tracks near the spot where the girls were found, as well as shoe imprints. "We photographed and tried to record those as best we could," Rosser said. "We don't know whether they are relevant or not."

They also recovered empty shell casings near the scene, but were not sure whether they had any connection to the murders. Rosser said that investigators have an idea what kind of gun was used in the crime, but he did not want to jeopardize the investigation by publicly releasing that detail.

Authorities laid out a variety of scenarios. The girls may have known the killer or killers and were fleeing when they were shot; they could have been surprised; they also could have stumbled upon something that the killer did not want anyone to see.

The bodies of the girls, wearing shorts and T-shirts, were found by Peter Placker, Taylor's grandfather and legal custodian. He went looking for the girls after one of them failed to pick up a call on her cell phone that evening. They were about a quarter-mile from Taylor's house, where they were having a sleepover.

"They were the best and I'm not just saying that because they are gone," Wanda Mankin, the girls' principal and school counselor, told ABC News Tuesday. Taylor was a new student last fall at the local K-12 school, which had very small classes.

"There were five girls in that classroom and they were all best friends," Mankin said. "The other three girls are devastated."