Arrest made in 1999 murders, kidnappings in Welch

TULSA — Investigators Monday said they’ve solved the disappearances of two 16-year-old girls, the murders of one of the girls’ parents, and the fire that destroyed the victims’ home near Welch, Oklahoma in 1999.

Danny and Kathy Freeman were found inside the burned mobile home - although family members actually found the husband’s body the next day, after investigators left the scene.

That’s just the beginning of the missteps that led the case to languish for nearly two decades.

Private investigators had identified the suspects years ago, but police ignored them and actually threatened to confiscate their licenses if they persisted.

That’s according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday for the arrest of Ronnie Busick, 65, the only surviving suspect.

Two other men believed to have carried out the murders, Warren “Phil” Welch II and David Pennington, have died.

Disturbingly, DA Matt Ballard said Monday, it appears the girls were kept alive for days.

They were raped, and possibly tortured, and their tormentors took Polaroid photos of them which apparently survived for years and were shown to a number of people.

But none of those people stepped forward.

The case was apparently solved after a cache of evidence related to the investigation was recently found in a storage area at the sheriff’s office.