Marie Pitchford of Poteau and Marie Wilson of Guthrie have never met, but they know each other intimately in one respect. Both suffered the slaying of a...

Oklahomans have seen such a scenario unfold repeatedly in recent years with unsolved homicide cases in towns such as Poteau, Cordell, Buffalo Valley and, perhaps most notably, Weleetka. As time passes, are investigators are also battling the odds of these cases ever being solved.

"If you don’t have any solid leads in the first 48 to 72 hours, then it gets tough,” said Cleveland County Undersheriff Rhett Burnett, speaking in general terms and based on 27 years in law enforcement. "If you got nothing after 72 hours, then you should be really concerned. That’s why investigators have a heavy, heavy burden on their shoulders when they go to a crime scene.

Because each homicide presents different evidence and challenges, no one can definitively say when a case begins to go cold. Burnett, however, doesn’t believe in the term "cold case.”

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