Angie Tucker Still Missing From Tulsa, OK

Angie Denise Tucker, mother of 2 children, was in an on again, off again relationship with Allen Shields, who was quickly named a suspect or person of interest in her disappearance.

On October 6, 2007, Tucker filed rape charges against Shields, and he was arrested on those charges, but posted bond the same day, and the charges were declined due to lack of evidence, according to the prosecuting attorney.  On October 8 Tucker was granted an order of protection against Shields, but by November 3, Angie Tucker vanished.

According to her testimony, Shields broke into her home and forced her to have sex.  She claimed he had tried to harm her, harassed and stalked her.  Early on in the investigation it was stated that there was evidence with which to produce a time line, also confirming to investigators that she was a victim of foul play.  Shields continued to deny any knowledge of where she was or what happened to her.

When Angie Tucker failed to show up for her job at OSU Medical center, her employers and family filed a missing persons report with police.  Immediately they started passing out flyers with her information, the only thing they knew to do.  Many sources have said that it was totally out of her character to not have contact with her two children, that she would definitely not leave them behind.  Angie was know to be a responsible and dependable person who would always let family members know where she was going, she was outgoing and easily made friends.  She did not own a vehicle at the time she went missing.

In 2010, Allen Shields was again arrested, this time for several charges stemming from another late night break-in to the home of an ex-girlfriend.  Just like Angie Tucker, the woman filed for an order of protection because of an incident where he choked her to the point of passing out, just a short time before Shields broke into her home with what authorities say was a "murder kit" consisting of a handgun, pepper spray, a particulate mask, pepper spray-decontamination wipes, handcuffs and medications that could be used to promote sleep, an arrest report shows.  He clearly had plans to do harm to her and her 9 year old daughter, who possibly saved them both by locking herself in the bathroom and dialing 911 for help.  Responding officers broke down the door and found Shields in the home.

And then.......

On the morning of Sept. 4, 2008, a gunman wearing sunglasses and a hooded shirt pulled up over his head entered Retail Fuels Marketing, 3158 S. 108th East Ave., and quickly walked past several employees to the office of the company's owner, Neal Sweeney.

Without saying anything, the gunman shot Sweeney in the head.
Sweeney, a beloved father and former University of Tulsa football player, died the next day.

Police say the resulting investigation unraveled a murder-for-hire plot that led to charges against five accused conspirators. One defendant has since committed suicide, and four men face trial in the Sweeney slaying.

The defendant that committed suicide on April 5, 2011,  was Allen Shields "who pleaded guilty to the murder conspiracy and struck a deal with prosecutors to testify against the alleged co-conspirators. Prosecutors alleged that Shields helped facilitate payment for the killing. Shields, 34, was found dead Tuesday morning,  after reportedly shooting himself during a police standoff that involved an 11-year-old girl as a hostage."

Angie Denise Tucker is still missing, her two children are now 17 and 15 and being cared for by her family.

NamUs MP # 8315

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: November 3, 2007 from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Classification: Missing
Date Of Birth: November 20, 1973
Age: 34
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 155 lbs
Hair Color: Burgundy
Eye Color: Brown
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Characteristics: Meduim complexion.
Clothing: Black Jacket, Black shirt, denim Capri’s and black shoes.
Case Number: 2007073336
TES Case Number: 07820

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Crime Stoppers
(918) 596-COPS
OR
Tulsa P.D.
Det. Majors
(918) 596-9143




 

http://www.newson6.com/story/14390267/cases-i
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/8315
http://www1.tulsaworld.com/webextra/continuingcoverage/continuingcoverage.aspx?id=23&pgid=1

Is There Hope for Hope Meek?

In the Southeast corner of Oklahoma, near the Texas and Louisiana border, is the small town of Valliant which sits on land originally designated as Indian Land and part of the Choctaw Nation.  In the 1970's Weyerhouser Paper Mill (now International Paper Company) came to town and, at that time, was the largest mill in the world. The company also brought with it many jobs for the surrounding area and prosperity to the residents of Valliant.  As in other small towns across America, everyone knows everyone, and most of their business.

Hope and Jerry Meek, along with their three young children, lived on Section Line Road, most likely a road cut by the section of timber which Weyerhouser may have been harvesting at one time.  Hope Meek worked as a jailer who transported inmates to court, and was preparing to soon graduate with a degree in criminal law. Jerry Meek worked for Weyerhouser (International Paper Company) when, in February, 2002, Hope disappeared.

Family members describe Hope as being very close to her family, talking to her mother by phone several times throughout each day, which is verified by phone records, so when there was no word from her the family was worried and took action by sending the police to the home for a wellness check.  On that day, Jerry Meek told them Hope had just left to go to the store, however, upon searching the home they found that her vehicle was still there, all her belongings, credit cards, her purse, cell phone, and her glasses and contacts, unusual for someone who can't see without them.  The three children were also at home.

It was five days before Hope Meek was reported missing, at the insistence of her immediate family.  Apparently Jerry Meek changed his story about Hope going to the store and admitted that he hadn't seen her for five days, reporting that he had taken the children camping, at a location he was unable to remember 5 days later. According to accounts from friends and family, the winter night of February 21 was quite cold, too cold for three small children (ages 6, 3 and 10mo.) to be sleeping outdoors.

Family and friends allege the marriage was beginning to unravel, there were police reports made about domestic violence incidents and the couple were separating.  The night he went camping with the children, Jerry Meek says he left Hope with $500, and when he returned, she was gone as well as the $500.

Her employer, McCurtain County Sheriff's Department, says it was not in Hope's character to be absent from work without a valid excuse, and was highly unusual that she did not pick up her paycheck.  As in almost all cases of missing mothers, friends and family say that she would NEVER leave her children behind and discontinue contact with them.

According to public records found online, Jerry Meek petitioned for divorce from Hope Danielle Meek on March 6, 2002, 10-12 days after Hope went missing.  Others report that another woman, a former babysitter and now elementary teacher, moved into the marital home within a short period of time.  According to family members, Jerry Meek was having an affair with the "other woman," and Hope knew, but that wouldn't be a reason for her to leave everything and walk away.

Nine years have gone by, and Jerry Meek has managed to erase Hope's very existence in the lives of her children, including fighting Hope's family for full custody of her oldest child from a previous marriage.  Hope's family has been denied visitation which was court ordered, leaving them with no contact with her biological family, and theirs.

Jerry Meek has not cooperated with investigators, searched for his wife, nor answered any questions concerning what has happened to her.  He refuses to take a polygraph.  In this writer's opinion, Jerry Meek is probably well connected to the area, being born and raised there, and someone, somewhere is covering up the truth of what happened to Hope Meek.

In cases such as this, speculation runs very high, but no matter what the circumstances are today, the fact remains that Hope Meek is missing and needs to be found to give her family peace of mind and her children the truth.

Missing Since: 02/21/02

Missing from: Valliant, Oklahoma

Classification: Endangered Missing

Date Of Birth: 1976

Age at disappearance: 25 years old

Height:5’1

Weight:90 lbs.

Hair Color: Sandy Blonde

Eye Color: Blue

Race: White

Gender: Female

Distinguishing Characteristics: Hope wears eyeglasses,

but she left her pair behind inside her residence at the time of her disappearance.

NamUs MP # 5169

.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Valliant Police Department

580-933-4555

OR

Oklahoma State Bureau Of Investigation

800-522-8017

If you have any information on this case please contact CUE Center For Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131   24 hour tipline (910) 232-1687.

Interview 5/5/2011 with sister of Hope Meek




http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/hope-danielle-meek/#comments
http://hope-meek.memory-of.com/About.aspx
http://lostnmissing.posterous.com/unsolved-missing-hope-meek-25-oklahoma-who-ha
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/valliant-ok/TM9KOQNOK62MBI7LF
http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2010/05/hope-meeks-family-demands-answers-in-loved-ones-disappearance.html
http://www.valliantchamber.org/index.html
http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=637.0
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/5169
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21141

UPDATE

AUGUST 11, 2012

OSBI agents arrested Jerry Meek, 39, where he works, at the International Paper Company in Valliant.

He was booked into the McCurtain County Jail on one count of first degree murder. His bond was set at $250,000.

The bureau said the arrest was made possible by a new District Attorney, who was willing to prosecute the case despite the lack of body. They said they believe the passage of time proves Hope is deceased.

http://www.newson6.com/story/19249969/osbi-makes-arrest-in-decade-old-disappearance-case

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/OSBI-makes-arrest-in-10-year-old-case/AKw41av4b0ydrzzCqXCABw.cspx

Caroline Thomas and Her Two Children Missing From Oklahoma City:FOUND

  

When her common law husband returned from a trip to WalMart, Caroline Thomas and her two children,  7-year-old Gabriel Thomas and 2-year-old Danny Williams Jr. were gone.

Details are sketchy at this time, Caroline Thomas and her children have been missing since Friday, December 3, 2010 when it's reported that the common law husband found the house empty when he returned.


Reports say there was no sign of struggle at the home in the Northwest section of Oklahoma City, OK, however, it's also reported that Thomas did not have a vehicle.


At this time there are more questions than answers, such as how did a woman and two children vanish without a vehicle?  Reports haven't disclosed whether her purse, cell phone or belongings are at the home or missing also.


Now that it's Monday, will little 7 year old Gabriel show up for school this morning?  Could this just be a weekend getaway for Caroline and her children?  Is the relationship with the common law husband a good one, or are there signs of trouble?  I hope investigators are asking these questions and looking into all possibilities and not just looking at this case as another adult wanting a break from their life.  


Although, hoping she did take the children on a weekend trip, because the alternatives will not give as positive an outcome.


Anyone with information is asked to call 911.   ( Isn't there an officer assigned to the case?)

Caroline Thomas is described as black, about 5 feet 2 inches tall, 125 pounds with light brown hair. She was last seen wearing capri pants and a multi-colored, flower-pattern blouse. Both children are also black.

Peas In Their Pods


http://www.koco.com/r/26021814/detail.html

http://www.newsok.com/woman-kids-reported-missing-in-oklahoma-city/article/3521026?custom_click=headlines_widget

UPDATE

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City police said a mother called to reassure them that she was unharmed.

Investigators said they began looking for Caroline Thomas last Friday after Thomas' common law husband returned to the home to find the house empty.

Oklahoma City police said Thomas is fine and she has called dispatch to "get her name off TV."

She has also called family to say she is OK.

http://www.koco.com/r/26033999/detail.html

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK): Why No Support for the Missing?

As a former resident of the great state of Oklahoma, I'm more than surprised that Senator Coburn is showing resistance for The Help Find The Missing Act (Billy's Law) S3019.   Although all Americans are suffering through a bad economy, and I can understand  budget and funding concerns as  mentioned in Senator Coburn's latest newsletter, however, there are other things that affect every American, either directly or indirectly, and one of them is the fact that almost 1 million of our citizens are reported missing every year as recorded by FBI and NCIC reports.  Yes, some return home safely within a few days, but thousands do not, and thousands NEVER come home, but are part of a vast repository of unidentified remains.

The Help Find the Missing Act will act to bridge the gap between the active missing persons cases and those who are unidentified, enabling thousands of families, like the family of Billy Smolinski, to find resolution to their cases.  Many of these families have accepted the fact that their loved one has met with foul play, but not one of them can, nor will, accept the fact that the remains of their loved ones are unable to be found and put to rest properly.

I urge every missing person's websites, databases, family members and supporters to UNITE and help get this important piece of legislation passed into law for the benefit of a national response to the epidemic of missing persons.

Becky Castillo, a volunteer with the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department – Coroner Division, who assists the Unidentified-Missing Persons Coordinator, Deputy Coroner Investigator David Van Norman in handling cases of missing and unidentified persons, has given  a sample letter to send to Senator Coburn on the missing person's support site, Peace4 the Missing.

Please take just a few minutes of your time today and personalize the following sample letter with your own stories or opinions.  If you do not live in Oklahoma, it's best to mail a letter from your post office as emails from outside Oklahoma will most likely not be read.

NOTE:  Remember this is a sample letter, all the facts are here; use some of it, part of it, and in some cases, if you have to, use it all. In the letter you will see (Insert personal story or Oklahoma's statistics) make sure you do this, when you are finished have it be your own.

Senator Coburn,

I am writing this letter in support of pending legislation, Billy's Law

(S3019). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 4,000

unidentified remains are discovered each year.

After one year, 1,000 of these bodies remain unidentified. With tens of

thousands of people reported missing each year, it is likely that a

family member, friend, or loved one is looking for that unidentified

person and simply can't find them due to the absence of a cooperative

effort by law enforcement across the country.

Some law enforcement agencies have a lackadaisical attitude when they receive a report for the “voluntarily missing” and often there is very little effort to search for them. The problem is when the case goes long term. If there is any follow-up at all, often it is long after the initial report. Often those long term cases have not been resolved because the missing person has died and their remains lay unidentified in a county morgue or cemetery.

(Insert personal story or Oklahoma's statistics)

The problem we face is there is no national protocol in play to assist

investigators to bridge the gap between missing persons and unidentified

persons cases.

The Help Find the Missing Act will bridge the gap.

The National Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is

by far becoming one of the best ways for the public and law enforcement

agencies across the country to work together to help bring missing loved

ones home! Since its launch in June of last year, the database of

unidentified decedents and missing persons has proved essential in

solving 16 cases. With the passing of Billy's Law, this number only

stands to grow. Unfortunately, without the funding of Billy's Law not

all law enforcement agencies are able to allocate the resources

necessary to use the NamUs system.

The passing of Billy's Law would make it possible for agencies across

the country to input information on their unidentified decedents,

increasing the number of case resolutions and potentially bringing

closure to families of missing persons all across our country.

I support this funding and hope that you do as well. I respectfully urge

you to pass S3019 when it comes before you.

Respectfully,

More useful information from Becky Castillo:

Unidentified Persons:

There are more than 40,000 unidentified human remains are held in evidence rooms of medical examiners throughout the U.S. but only about 7,000 active unidentified persons cases in entered into NCIC.

Sources:

NCIC Active/Expired Unidentified Person Analysis Report; NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics for 2009

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/missingpersons2009.htm

• As of December 31, 2009, there were 7,302 unidentified person records in NCIC.

• During 2009, 1,040 unidentified person records were entered into NCIC

Bureau of Justice Special Report: Medical Examiners and Coroners Offices, 2004; June 2007, NCJ 216756

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/meco04.pdf

• 4,400 unidentified human decedents reported in an average year; 1,000 remained unidentified after 1 year

• An estimated 20% of ME/C offices reported they used the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) “somewhat often” or “very often” while 80% of ME/C offices reported they “rarely or never” used NCIC

• (California was the only State that mandated information about the unidentified be reported to NCIC within a specified period. About 42% of all records in the NCIC unidentified persons file were from California.)

Side Note: If your missing loved one ended up deceased in a jurisdiction that does not report to NCIC, they may never be identified! NamUs can help to change that!

Missing Persons:

Every year, tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances.

On any given day there are approximately 100,000 active missing person cases in the U.S.

(Approximately 2,300 persons are reported missing per day)

Sources:

NCIC Active/Expired Unidentified Person Analysis Report; NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics for 2009

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/missingpersons2009.htm

• As of December 31, 2009, NCIC contained 96,192 active missing person records.

• During 2009, 719,558 missing person records were entered into NCIC.

These are only statistics. This is not meant to be used "as is" in the letter. Use it as a resource to state your facts confidently. Your letter must come from your heart...

Shirley Clift

Hennessey, Oklahoma sits north and a little west of Oklahoma City and is flat, barren and dotted with oil wells pumping up and down like a bird pecking the ground looking for worms. Scorching hot in the summer and cold winds in the winter, it's a rural town that has seen better days, yet many families settled there during the land rush generations ago.

Shirley and Gary Clift were 4 years into each other's second marriage when they realized the relationship was ending. In 1980 they were separated and went through a custody battle for their young daughter, Amanda, who was primarily awarded to her mother, Shirley. According to Gary, this breakup was friendly, and they had just drifted apart and all was settled amicably. However, Shirley's mother, Bonnie Anderson, speaks differently on the subject and recounts that she was told by her daughter that she was afraid of Gary.

"She would tell me a few things about her life with Gary, and none of it was very pretty," Anderson told The Daily Oklahoman. "She was deathly afraid of him."

Thanksgiving weekend in November of 1980, Shirley was seen leaving with Gary from her babysitter's home in his car. When she did not show up at her mother's for Thanksgiving dinner, Bonnie Anderson reported her missing, as well as Gary, two days later, stating that she had left that night with several Mexican men. Shirley was never heard from again.

Gary moved to Albequerque, NM with his young daughter, Shirley's daughter, and had several petty run ins with the law, nothing indicating violence, but resulting in a number of convictions. Nine years after Shirley disappeared, law enforcement agencies checked on her Social Security information, found no activity since she vanished, and indicated that she was most likely deceased.

Authorities finally caught up with Gary in NM and questioned him. He confessed that she was dead, that they had been in an argument, Shirley jumped from a car moving at 50 miles an hour and died from her injuries. Gary says, at that time, he panicked, rode around for several hours with her unresponsive body in the car and decided to bury her on the banks of the Turkey Creek. He was extradited to Oklahoma, Amanda was put into protective custody, then he quickly realized he implicated himself, changed his story, and according to authorities, there was not enough evidence to charge Gary with any crime at that time.

In October, 1999, police searched the site once more with cadaver dogs that indicated the presence of human remains. Heavy equipment was brought in, the site was excavated, and police indicated that evidence was strong enough to link Gary's earlier recanted statement to Shirley's whereabouts.

Shirley Clift was only 25 years old, her daughter, Amanda, 1, when her mother was taken from her under suspicious circumstances, probably involving her father. As of this writing, Gary Clift has not been charged, indicted, or convicted of having anything to do with the disappearance of Shirley.

Gary Clift is a free man. Did he get away with murder?