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Three young Texas girls who initially appeared to have drowned were actually strangled to death, investigators now believe, yet no one has been arrested in the eight-month-old case, CBS 19 reports.
On Thursday, Cass County District Attorney Courtney Shelton revealed that authorities are treating the deaths as homicides and urged the public to come forward with any information about what happened.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the victims have been identified as sisters 9-year-old Zi’Ariel Robinson-Oliver, 8-year-old A’Miyah Hughes, and 5-year-old Te’Mari Robinson-Oliver.
Their cousin, Paris Propps, was responsible for watching them while their mother was at work on July 29, 2022. But around 9 p.m. that evening, Propps reported the girls missing. Hours later, authorities recovered the girls’ bodies from a neighbor’s pond.
Autopsies revealed evidence of strangulation and lacerations to the girls’ faces, according to KSLA-TV. Police have conducted interviews and are testing DNA evidence, but no details were released about whether investigators have identified any suspects or a potential motive.
A search around the pond identified a pair of shoes and clothing scattered near the shoreline and in the water. An abandoned bicycle was also located at the scene.
Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe said on July 30 that it was not clear why the girls were at the pond.
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“We have no idea what the girls were doing there,” Rowe said, according to the Texarkana Gazette.
The girls’ mother, 28-year-old Shommaonique Oliver-Wickerson, described her pain on social media shortly after the deaths, writing “Lord pls and I mean pls I want my kids back this hurt and word’s can’t explain the pain I’m going through I just want my baby girl’s back in my arm,” according to DailyMail.
A GoFundMe page was launched over the summer to help raise money for the sisters’ memorial expenses.
To report information about the case, call Texas Ranger Josh Mason at 903-255-5727.
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[Feature Photo: Zi’Ariel, A’Miyah, & Te’Mari/Facebook]
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