Family Getting Help to Solve 6 Year Old Homicide Case in Garvin County

By Ed Murray, NEWS 9

MAYSVILLE, Oklahoma – A family frustrated their daughter's death is no longer being actively investigated is getting help from a grassroots organization to solve the 6 year old homicide case.

"There's multiple homicides that we know about. There's three within a 15 mile triangle of where I'm standing right now [Maysville]," said Shannon Kile with The Eleventh Commandment. "All unsolved and being uninvestigated…they're not even considered cold cases. They're just not cases."

"It's not cold to me. I have made it my lifelong goal to succeed and to find out what happened to my daughter," said Susan Deviney.

Susan Deviney's daughter, Sheila Deviney, died in a house fire in January of 2004. Her death was originally ruled an accident, but months later was ruled a homicide. By then, the burned trailer was gone along with crucial evidence that could help find the killer. A tree now stands on the spot where Sheila's body was recovered.

"Someone knows exactly who killed Sheila Deviney and why. Somebody helped the person who killed her. Somebody gave safe harbor to them. None of that's changed in six and a half years," Kile said.

Kile is with TheEleventhCommandment.org, a grassroots organization of business owners and others in Garvin County who have pooled their money together to offer a $50,000 reward for information that solves this case.

"Over the last two months we've had a lot of new information, a lot of new leads, and I believe with that $50,000 we may get a lot more new leads," said David Deviney, Sheila's father.

"I think someone knows what happened but they're afraid to come forward because we've been told if they could come into her front yard and murder her in her parent's yard, then what would they do to us if we ratted them out," said Susan Deviney.

But the Devineys face a new deadline. They say they've been told by the medical examiner's office that if there's no movement in their case by September 15, evidence samples taken from Sheila's body will be destroyed.

"We're going to try to get with an attorney and file an injunction to get those samples collected and saved," Susan Deviney said.

"Our family has basically been destroyed over this death. And there's no reason for that. We need some help," said Sheila's father.

The Devineys hope help will also come at the ballot box. Larry Rhodes is running for sheriff and has promised that if he's elected, he would reopen the case and actively investigate it.