TULSA, Okla. — A family is seeking to find more answers in the missing Welch girls case as a surviving mother fights health issues.
On Dec. 30, 1999, 16-year-old best friends, Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, from Welch, Okla., went missing and are believed to have been murdered. The bodies of Freeman's parents were found after a house fire, but the girls were never found.
READ MORE: Investigators search in Picher for Welch girls
A family member of Lorene Bible, the mother of Lauria Bible, posted on Facebook saying they are searching for more answers in the case as Lorene is battling stage 4 liver failure.
The post said Lorene cannot have a living donor, "so unfortunately, someone else losing their life will have to give her the gift of life."
The family member said they are desperate to find the girls, saying, "We need to bring the girls home!"
In late August 2020, a judge sentenced the last living defendant in the disappearance of the two missing teens.
The judge sentenced 68-year-old Ronnie Busick to 10 years with five years of probation. The judge gave Busick credit for time served since April 23, 2018. Therefore, Busick will serve eight more years prior to the five years of probation.
READ MORE: Judge sentences suspect in missing Welch girls case to 10 years in prison, five years of probation
Busick originally faced a first degree murder charge for the disappearance and suspected murders of Bible and Freeman.
Busick admitted to withholding information in the case and plead guilty to one count of accessory to murder in the first degree. He waived his rights away and proceeded on his own free will. The defendant also entered a plea agreement to help investigators find the girls' human remains.
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