POTEAU - A New Jersey couple is still searching for answers five months after their daughter's badly decomposed body was discovered on Poteau Mountain near Heavener, Oklahoma.
5NEWS spoke with them about the autopsy results and the next step.
The Rilee's were in Poteau to learn more about their daughter's death and to see their grandaughter. Five months after Jody Rilee-Wilson's body was found, they feel as though they're back at the beginning.
"To have to sit on our hands and wait for a report to come back to confirm what we already knew was very frustrating," Stacey Rilee told 5NEWS.
The Rilee's say the autopsy report reveals that Jody did not do this to herself. Still, there were no obvious injuries and the toxicology results only showed trace amounts of anti-anxiety drugs. In the end, the medical examiner could not determine a cause or manner of death. Law enforcement still classifies it as suspicious.
The couple expressed confidence in local and state law enforcement, but say they're frustrated by the lack of personnel committed to the case.
"We're hoping higher authorities whether it be the FBI get involved or something along those lines to bring these resources to the table," Jody's father, Jim said.
And if that doesn't happen, the couple could consider hiring their own investigator.
"We don't have unlimited resources but we can certainly get the ball rolling. We've actually had friends offer to help raise money for just that," Jim explained.
He says it's hard to be happy. Even if he wants to be, he feels guilty. His wife says she too is slowly learning to live again.
"I don't feel guilty smiling," Stacey said. "If anything, I mean my daughter had a terrific smile. It doesn't hurt me to laugh."
In the end, they are a mother and a father seeking justice for their daughter.
"The community needs to know not just this murder but the others that have happened in this community these people are walking amongst them," Jim warned.
The medical examiner wrote: 'It appears that the decedent was likely dragged to the area where the body was discovered and the nature of the documented injuries suggests that this likely happened in a postmortem setting'--meaning she was already dead when her body was dumped in a wooded area. The doctor also wrote that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death are criticial to determine the cause of death.
Her body was found with a ring still on her right hand, $11.64 cents in cash in her jeans, and two receipts; one of them from a coffee cafe in Poteau.
Stacey Riley says they understand resources are limited and she and her husband are happy to do the leg work if it will help. They're trying to get Jody's phone records and plan to pour over the pages one at a time. The family is offering a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone with information that will aid law enforcement in the case. You can call 1-800-SHERIFF and remain anonymous.
5NEWS spoke with them about the autopsy results and the next step.
The Rilee's were in Poteau to learn more about their daughter's death and to see their grandaughter. Five months after Jody Rilee-Wilson's body was found, they feel as though they're back at the beginning.
"To have to sit on our hands and wait for a report to come back to confirm what we already knew was very frustrating," Stacey Rilee told 5NEWS.
The Rilee's say the autopsy report reveals that Jody did not do this to herself. Still, there were no obvious injuries and the toxicology results only showed trace amounts of anti-anxiety drugs. In the end, the medical examiner could not determine a cause or manner of death. Law enforcement still classifies it as suspicious.
The couple expressed confidence in local and state law enforcement, but say they're frustrated by the lack of personnel committed to the case.
"We're hoping higher authorities whether it be the FBI get involved or something along those lines to bring these resources to the table," Jody's father, Jim said.
And if that doesn't happen, the couple could consider hiring their own investigator.
"We don't have unlimited resources but we can certainly get the ball rolling. We've actually had friends offer to help raise money for just that," Jim explained.
He says it's hard to be happy. Even if he wants to be, he feels guilty. His wife says she too is slowly learning to live again.
"I don't feel guilty smiling," Stacey said. "If anything, I mean my daughter had a terrific smile. It doesn't hurt me to laugh."
In the end, they are a mother and a father seeking justice for their daughter.
"The community needs to know not just this murder but the others that have happened in this community these people are walking amongst them," Jim warned.
The medical examiner wrote: 'It appears that the decedent was likely dragged to the area where the body was discovered and the nature of the documented injuries suggests that this likely happened in a postmortem setting'--meaning she was already dead when her body was dumped in a wooded area. The doctor also wrote that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death are criticial to determine the cause of death.
Her body was found with a ring still on her right hand, $11.64 cents in cash in her jeans, and two receipts; one of them from a coffee cafe in Poteau.
Stacey Riley says they understand resources are limited and she and her husband are happy to do the leg work if it will help. They're trying to get Jody's phone records and plan to pour over the pages one at a time. The family is offering a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone with information that will aid law enforcement in the case. You can call 1-800-SHERIFF and remain anonymous.
