Investigators Say They Are Confident In Solving Carina Saunders' Murder

Bethany Police have sorted through hundreds of tips in Carina Saunders' murder. Those closest to the case say working every lead the last two months leaves them confident this case will be solved.

Tuesday, December 13th 2011, 7:41 pm

By: News 9

Investigators Say They Are Confident In Solving Carina Saunders' Murder

A body found in a duffle bag. Police use those words to describe one of the most horrific homicide cases in Bethany two months ago.

Bethany Police have sorted through hundreds of tips and even reached a few dead ends in this murder investigation, but those closest to the case say working every lead the last two months leaves them confident this case will be solved.

The days pass, but the memories surrounding a murder do not. In October, Carina Saunders' mother told News 9 "she could do nothing so horrible in her life to deserve something like this."

The teenager's body was found stuffed in a duffle bag in a field in Bethany on October 13, 2011.

"It appears the body has been here for at least two or three days," Bethany Police Chief Phil Cole said at the time of the discovery.

While searching for evidence, a motive, and a killer, police are able to trace the body back to a missing person from Oklahoma City.

In a press conference on October 17, investigators ask the public for any information about 19-year-old Carina Saunders disappearance.

"We are really trying to establish a timeline in the last few days of her life," Chief Cole said.

Police named two persons of interest in the case, only later clearing both of their names.

After two more weeks pass and still no arrest for the murder of Carina Saunders, her mother and father talked exclusively with News 9, pleading for help from the public.

"She was just a beautiful girl inside and out who didn't deserve to go," Saunders' mother, Margie Queen said.

In the weeks following the parents cry for help, Bethany Police arrest Jimmy Massey for drug trafficking.

News 9 obtained court documents in November revealing Massey has information about Saunders' Murder. Within a month of Massey's arrest, police apprehend two others, Alejandros Rojas and Luis Soto, for their ties to the drug trafficking ring and possibly a murder.

However, with no certainty, the parents believe two months is too long for a killer to be free.

"There's no words, in my eyes and heart I think they deserve the same punishment," Saunders' father, Richard Saunders said.

Police are now looking for two other people who are known associates to the drug trafficking ring and may have information to help solve this case.

There is also no exact cause of death two months after the murder. The Medical Examiner has been waiting on toxicology to come back before completing the autopsy. A spokesperson said one more round of testing is required to complete the report.