JAY, Okla. — For the third time, cold case detectives searched a rural Delaware County pond for the remains of Misty Faulkner, coming up empty-handed, again.
“Eight cadaver dogs hit the same pond on multiple occasions,” said Sheriff James Beck, of Tuesday’s search.
The eight dogs belonged to multiple teams that had no association with each other, he said.
Misty D. Faulkner of Eucha, was last seen around 7:30 p.m. at the home of grandparents, Lloyd and Karen Baty, on Jan. 14, 2011. Investigators believe Faulkner had left her job at Tyson’s Foods and went shopping at the Jay Walmart before arriving at her grandparents’ home around 6 p.m.
Beck said that all eight cadaver dogs hitting the same spot but yielding no remains is disheartening for investigators.
Faulkner was just 29 years old when she disappeared.
After a couple of hours passed, Lloyd Baty went outside and noticed Faulkner’s vehicle still parked at their residence with bags of groceries, her wallet, and her cell phone locked inside.
It was customary for Faulkner to sit in her car talking to friends or family. So, when she didn’t immediately come inside the house no one suspected anything was wrong.
“We are committed to solving this case, as we are all of our other cold cases. This is not a dead end – we are still following up on leads.”
Delaware County Sheriff James Beck
The quarter-acre pond contained about six feet of water. Fire departments from Grove and Disney used three pump trucks to remove the water.
“We got down to sludge and there was nothing,” Beck said. “No bones, no clothes, nothing.”
Sheriff Beck said County Commissioner David Beck and his foreman Russell Martin excavated the entire pond and some of the adjacent property where the cadaver dogs hit on a scent.
FORMER ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
The state’s Attorney General Grand Jury Investigation Unit report states Faulkner’s estranged husband, Francis Eli Faulkner II, and her former boyfriend both passed polygraph tests.
According to those grand jury reports, Faulkner, a minister, was accused by Misty’s family of physically abusing her, including slapping her, strangling her, and locking her inside a 5th Wheel RV trailer. He was also described as “a very jealous man.”
Francis Faulkner received his ministerial license in March 2010, according to Delaware County records.
One witness overheard Faulkner telling Misty, “If I can’t have you, no one can,” the report states. Two text messages, purportedly from Francis to Misty, allegedly said, “She will pay,” and “…will die.” The second text message was sent to Misty one month prior to her disappearance, according to two investigation reports dated Dec. 8 and Dec. 9, 2015.
Efforts to reach Faulkner by phone and on social media were unsuccessful.
Anyone with information about Misty Faulkner’s disappearance is encouraged to call the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at (918) 253-4531.
If you have a news tip or a story idea contact Sheila Stogsdill at sstogsdill@ksn16.tv.
