Fritz
04-05-2005, 12:41 PM
Escaped Convict, Warden's Wife Found
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY — The wife of a deputy prison warden who disappeared 10 years ago along with a convicted killer has been found unharmed in East Texas and has been reunited with her husband, the FBI said Tuesday. The couple planned to return to Oklahoma.
A tip generated by the TV show "America's Most Wanted" led law enforcement to a mobile home in Campti, Texas, where escaped convict Randolph Dial (search) was arrested Monday, said Salvador Hernandez, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma.
The assistant warden's wife, Bobbi Parker (search), was found a short time later working at a chicken ranch elsewhere in the county, agents said. They were living together in the same trailer. She stayed with Dial all this time out of fear for her family, Hernandez said.
"Indications at this time are that she was being held against her will the entire period," Hernandez said. "Initial interviews indicate Dial made statements that her family was in danger through contacts he had."
"She has said she was being held against her will and indications are that this may be true."
"It appears she will be coming back to Oklahoma to be with the family."
Hernandez said FBI agents were present when Bobbi Parker was reunited with her husband, Randy Parker (search).
"They said the reunion went well," he said.
Dial, 60, was taken into custody without incident. A loaded pistol was found on top of a nearby table, the FBI said.
Shelby County Sheriff Newton Johnson had said earlier that the woman wanted to stay on the farm in Texas, but Hernandez said this was a misinterpretation.
Hernandez said he believes the sheriff's comment was unfounded and arose from comments she made thanking people as she was leaving the chicken farm.
Investigators had long thought Parker, 42, was kidnapped and held against her will by Dial, who escaped Aug. 30, 1994, from the Oklahoma State Reformatory (search) in Granite in southwestern Oklahoma.
Two days later Dial, who was convicted of the 1981 murder of a karate instructor, was charged with unlawful flight to avoid confinement, the FBI said.
Parker's husband, Randy Parker, was a deputy warden at the prison but has since transferred. The couple have two daughters.
After being found, Bobbi Parker asked an FBI agent about her daughters and husband. She was healthy and unharmed.
Hernandez said that while it is unusual for someone to be held against one's will for so long, it is not unprecedented.
"There have been cases of this kind and typically this will result when someone believes family members might be in danger," Hernandez said.
Bobbi Parker and Dial managed chicken houses in a rural area less than 15 miles from the Louisiana border.
Dial, a sculptor and painter with a master's degree in art, obtained trusty status in prison, meaning he could stay in minimum security housing outside the prison walls.
Dial ran an inmate pottery program with Bobbi Parker. He used a kiln in the Parkers' garage and had full access to their home during the day. The morning of Bobbi Parker's disappearance, her husband saw Dial working in his garage as he left.
When he returned for lunch, he found a note from his wife saying she went grocery shopping. When his wife had not returned home that evening, Randy Parker called the prison and discovered Dial also was missing.
Bobbi Parker's mother received a phone call from her later that night traced to Hurst, Texas. "I can't talk now," she said, crying. "I'm OK. Tell the kids I'll see them soon."
A day later, she made a second call, this time from Fort Worth to a friend. It was the last message her family got from her. "I've got 30 seconds to talk," she said. "I want you to call my home. Tell the kids I love them and I'll be home soon."
Randy Parker, who is now warden at the William S. Key Correctional Center (search) at Fort Supply in northwestern Oklahoma. A spokesman at the prison said Parker did not want to comment.
In 2000, Randy Parker said his wife was not afraid of Dial, but was not "overly friendly" toward him. Dial is "personable," yet conniving, he said then. "I always saw him as a coward, just an absolute coward," Parker said. "He always tried to run a con on people."
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY — The wife of a deputy prison warden who disappeared 10 years ago along with a convicted killer has been found unharmed in East Texas and has been reunited with her husband, the FBI said Tuesday. The couple planned to return to Oklahoma.
A tip generated by the TV show "America's Most Wanted" led law enforcement to a mobile home in Campti, Texas, where escaped convict Randolph Dial (search) was arrested Monday, said Salvador Hernandez, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma.
The assistant warden's wife, Bobbi Parker (search), was found a short time later working at a chicken ranch elsewhere in the county, agents said. They were living together in the same trailer. She stayed with Dial all this time out of fear for her family, Hernandez said.
"Indications at this time are that she was being held against her will the entire period," Hernandez said. "Initial interviews indicate Dial made statements that her family was in danger through contacts he had."
"She has said she was being held against her will and indications are that this may be true."
"It appears she will be coming back to Oklahoma to be with the family."
Hernandez said FBI agents were present when Bobbi Parker was reunited with her husband, Randy Parker (search).
"They said the reunion went well," he said.
Dial, 60, was taken into custody without incident. A loaded pistol was found on top of a nearby table, the FBI said.
Shelby County Sheriff Newton Johnson had said earlier that the woman wanted to stay on the farm in Texas, but Hernandez said this was a misinterpretation.
Hernandez said he believes the sheriff's comment was unfounded and arose from comments she made thanking people as she was leaving the chicken farm.
Investigators had long thought Parker, 42, was kidnapped and held against her will by Dial, who escaped Aug. 30, 1994, from the Oklahoma State Reformatory (search) in Granite in southwestern Oklahoma.
Two days later Dial, who was convicted of the 1981 murder of a karate instructor, was charged with unlawful flight to avoid confinement, the FBI said.
Parker's husband, Randy Parker, was a deputy warden at the prison but has since transferred. The couple have two daughters.
After being found, Bobbi Parker asked an FBI agent about her daughters and husband. She was healthy and unharmed.
Hernandez said that while it is unusual for someone to be held against one's will for so long, it is not unprecedented.
"There have been cases of this kind and typically this will result when someone believes family members might be in danger," Hernandez said.
Bobbi Parker and Dial managed chicken houses in a rural area less than 15 miles from the Louisiana border.
Dial, a sculptor and painter with a master's degree in art, obtained trusty status in prison, meaning he could stay in minimum security housing outside the prison walls.
Dial ran an inmate pottery program with Bobbi Parker. He used a kiln in the Parkers' garage and had full access to their home during the day. The morning of Bobbi Parker's disappearance, her husband saw Dial working in his garage as he left.
When he returned for lunch, he found a note from his wife saying she went grocery shopping. When his wife had not returned home that evening, Randy Parker called the prison and discovered Dial also was missing.
Bobbi Parker's mother received a phone call from her later that night traced to Hurst, Texas. "I can't talk now," she said, crying. "I'm OK. Tell the kids I'll see them soon."
A day later, she made a second call, this time from Fort Worth to a friend. It was the last message her family got from her. "I've got 30 seconds to talk," she said. "I want you to call my home. Tell the kids I love them and I'll be home soon."
Randy Parker, who is now warden at the William S. Key Correctional Center (search) at Fort Supply in northwestern Oklahoma. A spokesman at the prison said Parker did not want to comment.
In 2000, Randy Parker said his wife was not afraid of Dial, but was not "overly friendly" toward him. Dial is "personable," yet conniving, he said then. "I always saw him as a coward, just an absolute coward," Parker said. "He always tried to run a con on people."