WAGONER COUNTY — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public's help in solving a 25-year-old murder case along the Muskogee Turnpike.
Dennis Goff's body was found April 10, 2000, near the Coweta/Wagoner exit on the Muskogee Turnpike. What investigators discovered next would launch a murder investigation that continues today.
OSBI Special Agent Dale Fine says investigators are still searching for answers in a case with no clear motive and no clear suspects.
"When you find a body discovered in a location like that along the highway, it takes a lot of investigation to try and find exactly what occurred especially when we may not have a witness that we know about at this time," Fine said.
Goff was discovered with a gunshot wound, and an autopsy at the medical examiner's office ruled his death a homicide.
"He was discovered with a gunshot wound and then later upon autopsy at the medical examiner's office they ruled his death as a homicide and so from there we started the investigation and over the years several interviews have taken place and evidence has been analyzed and stuff and so at this time we are still looking for additional information," Fine said.
Despite years of investigation, Fine says they still haven't recovered the murder weapon. When asked whether investigators believe Goff was killed elsewhere and then dumped on the highway, Fine says that's still part of their ongoing investigation.
"We did do a crime scene examination of the crime scene but that is still part of the information that we are still investigating and looking into," Fine said.
When working with limited evidence in cases like this, Fine says investigators go back to basics.
"So what you do with these types of cold cases is you go back and you start looking at who was initially interviewed in the case and you maybe want to go back and reinterview those people because at the time, things change over time," Fine said.
"Secondly, you go back and look at your evidence that was collected at the scene at the time and of course with all of the advancements in the forensic science technology world over the last few years, it's always helpful to go back and look at the evidence that you do have and maybe what kind of additional testing that hasn't already been done, that we could maybe do now."
The OSBI hopes someone out there has information that could finally bring closure to this case.
If you have any information about the death of Dennis Goff, contact the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017.
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