The Deck
REMEMBERING: Owachige Osceola (8 of Diamonds, Oklahoma)
Wed, 21 May
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Our card this week is Owachige Osceola, the 8 of Diamonds from Oklahoma.Recently divorced and living on her own in a new city, 27-year-old Owachige Osceola’s life was in a season of transition before she was killed in the bedroom of her Norman, Oklahoma apartment in September 2013. While the medical examiner who performed her autopsy concluded her cause and manner of death were “undetermined,” a detective who remains on the case today insists a killer has been allowed to walk free for nearly a decade.Please join us in writing a letter to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office calling for a formal independent review of the methodology used during Owachige’s autopsy. Below you will find a prompt you can use and the address to send the letter to.(WHERE TO SEND)Mr. John O'ConnorOklahoma Attorney General's Office313 NE 21st StreetOklahoma City, OK [email protected] To Whom It May Concern:I'm writing in regard to the criminal investigation related to the mysterious death of Ms. Owachige Osceola in September 2013, which is being conducted by the Norman Police Department.As you may be aware, Ms. Osceola's cause and manner of death were classified by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as "undetermined" despite credible evidence that she was intentionally strangled to death in the bedroom of her apartment.After hearing concerns expressed by Norman Police Department investigators working this case and closely listening to details about the criminal investigation into her death as reported by Audiochuck Podcast Network's "The Deck," I'm deeply troubled that the medical examiner's office has been unwilling to reconsider its original ruling — directly hindering further investigative efforts to pursue justice for Ms. Osceola and her loved ones.I implore the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office to reexamine evidence in this case and to insist that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner consider that Ms. Osceola's death was the result of a homicidal act. I also kindly request that this office publicly publish its conclusions in the matter.Respectfully,[YOUR FIRST & LAST NAME] View source material and photos for this episode at: thedeckpodcast.com/remembering-owachige-osceolaLet us deal you in… follow The Deck on social media.Instagram: @thedeckpodcast | @audiochuckTwitter: @thedeckpodcast_ | @audiochuckFacebook: /TheDeckPodcast | /audiochuckllcTo support Season of Justice and learn more, please visit seasonofjustice.org.The Deck is hosted by Ashley Flowers. Instagram: @ashleyflowersTikTok: @ashleyflowerscrimejunkieTwitter: @Ash_FlowersFacebook: /AshleyFlowers.AFText Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!
Chapter 1: What happened to Owachige Osceola?
Hi, everyone. This is an off week for the deck, but I'm popping in your feeds anyway because I want to bring your attention back to a case that we covered a few years ago on this show. Awachige Asiola. Some of you will remember her case because we did a letter writing campaign to urge the Oklahoma Emmy to change Awachige's cause of death from undetermined to homicide. And a lot of you took action.
But I'm sad to report that all these years later, despite clear evidence of murder, Awachige's death still isn't classified as a homicide. And it's standing in the way of getting answers in her case.
The other reason I want to highlight her story is because earlier this month, the Oklahoma governor vetoed a bill that allowed the state to help fund solving missing and murdered indigenous persons' cases. According to reporting in the Oklahoma newspaper, the governor said that he couldn't back the bill because, quote, justice must be blind to race.
The announcement was issued on May 5th, which is a national day of awareness for the MMIP crisis. The detective overseeing Awachigi's case made us aware of this because he is in the process of trying to get the Bureau of Indian Affairs on board to help with her case. And he fears that due to the governor's veto, that might not be realistic anymore.
So please, listen to Awachigi's story, which we originally aired in May 2022. And if you feel inclined, it is not too late to take action. Our card this week is Awachigi Asiola, the Eight of Diamonds from Oklahoma. Even though Awachigi called for help on the morning her killer broke in, what actually happened inside her apartment is still a mystery.
And while evidence supports police's theory about who killed her, one huge hurdle still stands in the way of justice. I'm Ashley Flowers, and this is The Deck. On September 25th, 2013, Toni Brown was hanging out at home in Anadarko, Oklahoma, when she saw a Facebook status from her friend Awachiki. It had been posted earlier that morning and read, quote, Moose is trying to KM.
Toni knew Awachiki was dating a guy named Moose, but she wasn't sure what KM meant. Just then, Toni's phone alerted her to a text from Awachiki that said the exact same thing as her Facebook status. Moose is trying to K.M. Awachiki wasn't answering any calls or texts, and Toni was freaked out, so she rounded up three of their friends to go check on her.
The group made the roughly hour-long drive from Anadarko to Awachiki's apartment in Norman, Oklahoma. And when they pulled up, their feelings of unease only grew. They saw that the door was slightly open from having been kicked in. They could tell because there was a shoe print on the door and the frame was splintered. So Tony and the group didn't even go in. They called police instead.
As soon as Norman police officers got inside, they saw cabinets and drawers left open and stuff everywhere. But when they called out to see if anyone was home, no one answered. It was in an upstairs bedroom that police found Awachigi. She was laying on the floor, face down, with her sheets and comforter tossed over her head.
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Chapter 2: What evidence suggests Owachige was murdered?
We reached out to the Oklahoma's office of the chief medical examiner to try and better understand their findings in this case. But they declined to be interviewed. In a letter to Detective Parks in response to his asking them to at least recategorize Awachige's death as a homicide, the chief M.E. said, quote, "...whereas the circumstances of death are indeed suspicious."
The cause of death in this case is undetermined. The manner is best classified as undetermined." In the early days of the investigation, police interviewed everyone in Awachigi's orbit. Her friends, an ex-husband, her boyfriend, her family, all of whom had alibis that checked out. Only one person could be placed at Awachigi's apartment on the morning of September 24th.
Do you have an opinion as to who may have taken your daughter's life?
I'm going to say that, according to my detectives, He indicates that all evidence leads to one person.
I want justice for my baby. In November of 2020, the Seminole tribe wrote letters to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office and called for a formal independent review of the methodology used during Owachige's autopsy. But as far as Detective Parks knows, nothing came of it. At the end of the day, he wants to see charges brought against Rob, even if it's for second-degree murder.
I can point the finger. Did Northern Police Department fall down on this case a little bit? Yeah, we should have sent a patrol officer on that first 911 call. There should have been somebody there within a few minutes. But we did what we could to rectify that problem. Should the medical examiner's office have better supervision over their pathologist? Absolutely.
They have done nothing to reconcile their mistake. Should the district attorney file a case against Robert Ross for the death of Awashige? Absolutely. Because it's the right thing to do. Leave it up to a jury to decide whether he's guilty or not guilty. But it's the right thing to do. It needs to be done.
To this day, no arrests have been made in connection to Awachiki's death. Her missing phone and debit card have never been found. Roberta told us she hopes to one day see the whites of the eyes belonging to the person who stole her daughter's future.
I would say that there are... measures that have been put in place with the Lord, and He will seek justice for me and Awajiki. And whoever did this to her, he's going to answer to the Lord.
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