by Jax Miller
Lauria, age nine
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Ashley Freeman, age fifteen
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Lauria Bible, age sixteen
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Singed photo recovered from the fire: Danny, Kathy, and Ashley Freeman on Ashley’s fifteenth birthday
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Lauria and Brad Bible
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Lauria Bible at the “crick” behind the Freeman home. This is the only known photo of the Freeman trailer.
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Lauria and her brother, Brad
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Photo of Ashley Freeman recovered from the fire
Courtesy of Dwayne Vancil
Lauria Bible, age five
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
Ashley Freeman
Courtesy of Dwayne Vancil
Kathy and Danny Freeman
Courtesy of Dwayne Vancil
The crime scene: the ruins of the Freeman trailer
Courtesy of Lorene Bible
The Freeman driveway
Jax Miller
A local sign
Jax Miller
The Freeman tombstone
Jax Miller
Jax Miller with Charles Krider
Courtesy of Jax Miller
Jeremy Jones with a former girlfriend, 1999
Courtesy of Jeremy Jones
Jax and Randy “Cowboy” Madewell at the Serenity Inn, formerly the Frontier Motel, 2018
Courtesy of Jax Miller
The arrest of Ronnie Busick with CCSO Sheriff Heath Winfrey (left) and DA investigator Gary Stansill (right)
Lisa Bible-Brodrick
Page on how to help
Please follow the case on Facebook at Find Lauria Bible, as run by the Bible family, for photos, information, and more. Tips are always welcome.
Tips and information can also be submitted to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation: 1-800-522-8017 or [email protected].
Donations are also welcome on GoFundMe, Lauria and Ashley Scholarship Program, dedicated to local scholarships at the girls’ respective schools.
There is a $50,000 reward in place.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It should come as no surprise that most of my thanks belong to Lorene Bible, whose strength and determination continually inspire me each and every day. Without her, many would not know this story. I cannot thank Lorene, and many others, enough for opening their hearts and homes to me and allowing me into the most painful parts of their lives. I recognize that my presence wasn’t always easy on you, and I love you for your patience. For Jay Bible, whom I so respect and admire for sharing his heart with me. To Lisa Bible-Brodrick, the woman who unexpectedly became one of the greatest friends this Yankee could ask for, and the rest of the Brodrick gang, who are crazier than a pit full of whistling raccoons (or something or other). To Missy and the rest of the Bibles and Leforces, who stay loud and strong as Lauria’s voice across generations and time. The unity and perseverance of this family are nothing short of astounding, and I have been blessed to get to know you all.
I have so much gratitude for those on the Freeman side of the family, who I’ve come to just adore so much. To Glen, who holds a special place in my heart, thank you for your trust. And to Dwayne, whom I can sit and talk to for hours and hours, conversations I cherish. To Chris and Huey and our times between Welch and Louisiana, and to Lonny. Thank you all for letting me into your lives, even when it hurt, and for helping me understand so much.
To Celesta Chandler, who passed away before I could finish this book: may you finally know peace. And to Bill, may you too find peace. I will always remember the love you had for your family.
To Jeremy Hurst and Kat, thank you for your kindness. To Sheena, a true friend to Lauria and Ashley and one of the sweetest women I’ve ever known, thank you for being a beautiful soul over the years. To Justin Green, for sharing so much about Shane and your guys’ unbreakable friendship. To Aaron Roper for his abundant information and tourism, and his family and friends for their warmth (and tasty ribs). To Sheriff Jeremy Floyd and Melissa, for opening your home and for always lending your support. To Cowboy, who could always show me around Oklahoma’s nooks and crannies and bring a smile to my face. To R.E., whom I’ve come to just adore as a friend. To Jerri Shelton, for your trust and your unending sweetness. To Tom Pryor, for your openness. To Ally Lynn, for letting me in. To the Sherricks, for allowing me to be the first person you publicly shared your story with. To Tiffany Alaniz of Fox23, who’s covered this story since its genesis and is a woman who always helps. To Sheila Stogsdill, for the same. To coroner Darren Dake of the Death Investigation Training Academy, who I’m proud to call a friend, and Priya Banerjee, MD, board-certified forensic pathologist—thank you, guys, for your patience and guidance. To retired NYPD sergeant Joe Giacalone, who taught me so much about law enforcement. To Paul Burch, for your overwhelming help. To Larry Thomas of the KBI for his expertise. To the Cooks, who cared so much for Judith—thank you for being amazing. To Paula Barnett: I love you to pieces. To Sherry Davis, for being a gentle soul over the years. To the Whetstones, whose godliness and goodness bled into these pages. To “Rhonda,” whom I never thought I’d get the chance to meet, but am so glad that I did (I believe you are just amazing). And to “Dawn” for overcoming so much.
To Ken and Sara Clark for all your graciousness and accommodation. To Anita at the casino (you know why). To the guys and gals at Stephen David Entertainment, who made it possible to achieve a lot of my research. To Dean Bridges and the Cowboy Church, for all you’ve done for me. To the historians and archivists of Vinita for being so helpful and accommodating with keeping history alive. To the staff members of the Bluejacket and Welch high schools, especially Shellie Baker, for showing me around. And a special shout-out to Clanton’s Cafe, home of the best food you’ll find in Oklahoma. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
For the sake of protecting people’s privacy, a huge thank-you in general to everyone who let me interview them, both for this book and otherwise. I want to share my gratitude with all the men and women in Wyandotte who spoke to me about this case for the first time. Most of you should know who you are. To those in and around Chetopa for allowing me into your lives and overcoming fear to speak out. To my sources on and off the record at the Craig County Sheriff’s Office and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the agents and staff from the DA’s office and the OSBI, who offered their expertise for the sake of my writing this book, and for the sake of keeping this story alive. Thank you, all.
Now I leave Oklahoma to direct my admiration toward the people near and dear to me, for those who saw me bear the writing process. Starting with my husband, John David, thank you for never letting me give up, no matter how hard I tried. I love you, and I hate you for it. To my sister, Jessica, my best friend and the person who knows me better than anyone (S/O to Roger, and Mandy and Sarah!). To my in-laws back home in Ireland, Ber, Paddy, and Sarah, for all your incredible support over many years. To my mother, who died while I was writing this book—thank you for passing the writing genes to me and not to Jess. To my father, Vik, and Linda, thanks for being you. To my dear friend Amit “A.A.” Dhand, the Harper Lee to my Truman Capote—here’s to the Harrys and Freedoms in all of us. And to my dear friend the judge Jim Szablewicz, for so much help in the legal realm. To Tom Saum and Joey Slavinski and the rest of the Scooby gang back in New York for helping me through the rough patches of my mind and for being the first ones to land on when I needed a break.
Lastly, the women behind the publishing curtain, starting with Emma Finn at the C&W agency in London for being the first person to take a chance on this book. To Zoe Sandler at ICM in New York. You guys are the greatest. To Sarah Hodgson of HarperCollins UK, who’s always believed in my writing ability. To Jen Monroe at Berkley and Penguin Random House USA, who I’ve
come to appreciate and adore. To Kathryn Cheshire at HarperCollins UK for being a great editor. To Caroline Lamoulie at Plon (France), my French partner in crime. Thanks for working so hard to help get this story published. To everyone at the publishing houses who had anything to do with this book. I could do none of it without you.
And of course, to my children, who will always remind me that there’s beauty and light, even when the world goes dark. You are the reason I write and I love you all THIS much.
Keep Reading …
If you enjoyed Hell in the Heartland, why not try Jax Miller’s first novel
Call me what you will: a murderer, a cop killer, a fugitive, a drunk …
There’s a lot people don’t know about Freedom Oliver. They know she works at the local bar. They know she likes a drink or two.
What they don’t know is that Freedom is not her real name. That she has spent the last eighteen years living under Witness Protection, after being arrested for her husband’s murder. They don’t know that she put her two children up for adoption, a decision that haunts her every day.
Then Freedom’s daughter goes missing, and everything changes. Determined to find her, Freedom slips her handlers and heads to Kentucky where her kids were raised. No longer protected by the government, she is tracked by her husband’s sadistic family, who are thirsty for revenge. But as she gets closer to the truth, Freedom faces an even more dangerous threat.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
Click here to buy a copy
About the Author
Jax Miller is an American author. She wrote her first novel, Freedom’s Child, in her twenties while hitchhiking across America, winning the 2016 Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle and earning several CWA Dagger nominations. She has received acclaim from the New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and many more. She now works in the true-crime genre, having penned her much-anticipated book and acting as creator, host, and executive producer on the true-crime documentary series Hell in the Heartland on CNN’s HLN network. Jax is a lover of film and music, and has a passion for writing screenplays and rock ‘n’ roll.
@RealJaxMiller
/RealJaxMiller
Also by Jax Miller
Freedom’s Child
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