PITTSBURG COUNTY, Okla. — Lori Jo Gardner visited Green Country from Las Vegas over the weekend to see her sons and to check on her house near Lake Eufaula that she leased out. But by early morning Nov. 1, she was killed from what her family told 2 News was blunt force trauma.
“And we’re getting zero answers," Gardner's sister, Alisa Gardner, told 2 News via video interview on Nov. 4. "And this is just killing my family, my mother. I feel like we just need something."
Gardner’s sisters and mother said she last told them her tenants hadn’t paid rent the last couple months and didn’t respond to her calls and messages.
Neighbors and witnesses said Gardner and her tenants were seen Halloween night at the Neon Moon bar in Longtown, then later at the house she owned in Arrowhead Estates near the town of Canadian.
Neighbor Charlie Leeger said he then heard fighting.
“I woke up at like midnight and the police lights were on," Leeger said. "There was a bunch of cops. It seemed like about 3 o’clock the police finally left, then about 15-20 minutes after that there was a window break and a bunch of loud screaming, and then it just went quiet. And then maybe 20 minutes after that the police showed back up."
Choctaw Nation offered this statement from its Lighthorse police report:
"Authorities are investigating a death following a reported physical altercation at a residence in Canadian, Oklahoma. Pittsburg County deputies responded to the scene, where an adult woman was found unresponsive. Deputies began lifesaving efforts, and the woman was transported to a hospital in Eufaula, where she was later pronounced deceased.
The victim and the suspects have been identified as tribal members. Tribal investigators and the FBI are coordinating investigative efforts, including interviews and the collection of evidence, to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation remains active. No conclusions have been reached regarding how the altercation began or the circumstances that led to the woman’s death. Names, witness statements, and other investigative details will be released when they become available and do not compromise the integrity of the investigation."
2 News also reached out to a FBI Oklahoma City spokesperson Nov. 4, who responded briefly, "I can confirm this is an active FBI Oklahoma City investigation, but for that reason, I cannot provide further comment at this time."
Gardner’s younger sisters, Alisa and Candice, and mother, Barb Kauffman, said investigators have told them minimal details in the days since - except that the reported the cause of death is blunt force trauma.
The family now wants Lori Jo Gardner remembered for who she was on the inside.
“She was a hard worker, she was a grandmother, she was a mother," Alisa said. "She’d give the shirt off her back to a homeless person. That’s just who she was."
This is a developing story.
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