CRAIG COUNTY, Okla. — It's been 25 years since Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman were last seen alive in the town of Welch. The 16-year-old girls were staying over at Freeman's house for her birthday on Dec. 30, 1999.
The next morning, it went up in flames. Freeman's parents' bodies eventually turned up, both with a gunshot wound to the head. The girls, however, still haven't been found.
Bible and Freeman were inseparable best friends who had just attended Christmas parties together. Lauria's mother, Lorene, told 2 News on Dec. 30 it was only natural for them to spend Ashley's birthday together for an additional day.
"What could you change? What could you have done differently? At the end of the day we would still let her stay the night," Lorene said.
It took years more than 15 years for investigators to believe the crimes were done by three men: Ronnie Busick, Phillip Welch, and David Pennington likely conspired to kill Freeman's parents, set their house on fire, kidnap the two girls, and later kill them.
"Ronnie Busick told me personally after they brought him back from Kansas that he personally didn't kill anybody," Lorene said. "He personally didn't set fire to anything. And he personally didn't take those two girls off that property. But he was sitting in the driver seat of the car."
Lorene added Busick said he was with his friends and was fine with whatever they planned to do.
"He's been in the drug world enough to know how it works. I've talked to enough people in the drug world," she added. "If you do stuff and they don't like it, this is how it's paid."
Pennington and Welch died before they could be charged. Only Busick was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in 2020. The now-72-year old was released from prison on good behavior in 2023.
Lorene fought to change the law that allowed his release but it wasn't heard in the state senate in 2024.
- Previous coverage >>> OK Senate declines to hear 'Lauria and Ashley's Law'
"There was a misunderstanding, just the questions that the senators and the representatives were asking," she said.
There's still the mystery of Lauria and Ashley. Through two and a half decades, nobody has come forward with their whereabouts. Dozens of excavations have come up empty.
Busick told Lorene he still has no clue where they are.
"But I know from talking to other people that stuff like this happens, and you go to bars – and they frequented a lot of bars – everybody talks," she said. "They would say, 'Don't let nobody know who we are.' But this is what was talked about. Those girls were talked about a lot."
Lorene told 2 News more digs are planned in 2025 to potentially find the girls' bodies.
"I'm still gonna search for Lauria," the mother added. "And when I find her, I'll find Ashley. That's been my whole thing from the get-go. When I find Lauria, I'll find Ashley."
On December 30, 2024, the Bibles hosted a 25 Memorial Anniversary for the two young girls.
"Well, it's just there for a short time in this life, you know. You only have them for a short time. They’re like shooting stars. They burn real bright for just a short period of time," said Lauria's dad Stanley (Jay) Bible when he took to the lectern at the event.
More than 100 community members showed their love for the girls. Some shared memories and stories, while others used the event to continue healing.
Lorene Bible said the anniversary still gives her hope. While it's been 25 years since she last saw her daughter, she said she'll search for another 25 years if she needs to.
"I knew right then. People say why are you the way I am? Because if a momma can't find her ain't nobody else going to go look for your child when they turn up missing," she said.
Search after search and dead end after dead end the family's fight for answers continues.
"I don’t want to leave this world until I bring my daughter home. That’s my mission and I got to do what I got to do," said Lorene.
Anyone who might have info on what happened on Dec. 30, 1999, is urged to call the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at 800-522-8017, or the FBI’s anonymous hotline at 800-THE-LOST.
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