WELCH, Okla. — It’s been a 26-year ache that stirs deep inside the soul of Lorene Bible.
Her steadfast mission is to find her only daughter, Lauria and her friend, Ashley Freeman.
WATCH: Oklahoma's Cold Case Files: Lauria Bible & Ashley Freeman
For those who don’t know their story, Lorene recounts the final moments they had together.
“In December of 1999, Lauria went over to Ashley’s house for her 16th birthday on the 29th of December and it was a birthday party, stay the night and come home the next day but she never came home the next day. During the night, somebody walked into the Freeman’s house and killed Danny and Kathy and abducted both girls and burnt the house to the ground,” said Bible.
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On This Day: Welch girls Lauria Bible, Ashley Freeman taken in 1999
Bible and her family have spent years searching for Lauria and Ashley.
Ronnie Busick was convicted in their disappearance.
Investigators believe Phillip Welch and David Pennington killed Freeman’s parents that night before burning the home to the ground and taking the girls.
Busick claims he doesn’t know where they are.
Welch and Pennington have since died, leaving the hopes of Lorene Bible resting on the memory of Busick.
In 2023, he was released from prison after serving just 18 months of a 10-year sentence.
“We knew he wasn’t going to serve all 10 years, you know, but we had no clue that in 18 months he would be 17 miles up the road from us walking around,” said Bible.
To keep this from happening to another family, Bible has worked tirelessly to get Lauria and Ashley’s Law passed.
The law requires anyone convicted of being an accessory to first or second degree murder to serve at least 85% of their sentence.
The bill was recently signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt.
While this doesn’t bring the girls home, it does give Bible some peace of mind.
“This could be your child. This could be one of your loved ones, and we don’t want this to happen to another family,” said Bible.
To keep Lauria and Ashley’s memories alive, Bible just opened a resale store in Vinita called Poooh’s New Bearly Used.
“Once we pay the bills and pay the rent and stuff, everything goes into the scholarship fund that we established three years ago in honor of Lauria and Ashley. We give two $500 scholarships to Blue Jacket and Welch for seniors,” said Bible.
In April, Bible said investigators with the Quapaw Nation searched another mine shaft in Picher.
She said so far, they have searched five out of 150 mines total.
She stands firm in her belief that the girls are somewhere in Picher, and said she will use every moment of every day to work to bring them home.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, you are asked to contact the OSBI.
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