TULSA — The ongoing feud between the sheriff and district attorney in Osage County has thrown a cold case investigation into a somewhat chaotic state, yet both men insist that the attempt to link the BTK serial killer with the disappearance of an Oklahoma teen in 1976 will continue.
[Hear the KRMG In-Depth Report on DA Mike Fisher and the BTK case HERE]
District 10 D. A. Mike Fisher held a press conference Monday, in which he claimed Sheriff Eddie Virden had, among other things, released news about the investigation to the media, subjecting the family of that missing teen to a great deal of duress.
Virden tells KRMG it was actually the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, who broke the story to reporters.
Rader is his prime suspect in the disappearance of Cynthia Dawn (”Cindy”) Kinney, 16, from Pawhuska 47 years ago.
KRMG asked Fisher about his claims it was the sheriff who brought the story into the public eye, and he admitted he didn’t actually have proof that happened.
“The information I received, and understand it’s not verified, but the information I received from several sources is that it may have been the sheriff who first became involved in sharing this with media,” Fisher told our reporter.
“You did not verify that that actually happened before you went in front of the cameras on Monday, is that what you’re telling me?” our reporter asked.
“That’s correct,” was Fisher’s response.
Fisher was also asked to provide an example of misinformation regarding the investigation which he claimed the sheriff had disseminated in the media.
“I’ll give you one example, and I won’t mention any other,” Fisher said. “Early on, Sheriff Virden said, at the time of the dig, that he did a dig based upon a search warrant that he obtained in Kansas. There were several news articles that were printed, that talk - that were printed online and also reported on television, where it was confirmed that that’s what he said.”
KRMG’s reporter spent quite a bit of time combing through coverage from various sources, including the New York Times, the Wichita Eagle, KSN-TV, the Associated Press, and other sources, but was unable to find any confirmation that Sheriff Virden claimed to have conducted that search based on a warrant.
We reached out twice more on Thursday after the initial interview, asking Fisher to provide a link to an article or news clip which backed up his contention, but he did not respond.
Fisher admitted he and the sheriff have a long-running dispute, which he said involved local politics and alleged aspersions leveled against his family members, among other, but declined to provide specific details.
That said, he told KRMG that he wants closure for the Kinney family, and that he doesn’t oppose the sheriff’s investigation into BTK’s possible involvement in Cindy’s disappearance.
“I have no personal problem with his investigation at all. What I have said from day one is that his investigation has provided nothing that I could use in the court of law, which is why I have asked OSBI (the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) to investigate,” Fisher said.
“Do you want this investigation into the possible connection between Dennis Rader and Cindy Kinney to continue?” our reporter asked.
“Absolutely. Yes, sir,” he replied.