PURCELL, Okla. – Three people are in jail after police say they allegedly killed Shaliyah Toombs. As to why they murdered her – investigators say it’s all because of a backpack.
“Once we’ve completed the investigation, once we find these other puzzles, I think you’re going to see that it was just like all homicides. It’s a senseless homicide over some stupid stuff,” said Detective David Tompkins.
According to newly released court papers, Toombs, 23, borrowed Staci Harjo’s Jeep, and inside it was a backpack that belonged to her husband. The backpack contained a hard drive.
Police said it’s that backpack that eventually led to murder.
“When we found her in the vehicle, she had been there several days,” said DetectiveTompkins.
In the affidavit, Joshua Finkbeiner, 30, and Harjo, 42, allegedly accused Toombs of stealing the backpack and hard drive, and then forced Daniel Vasquez and Toombs to leave with them in a black pickup from Toombs’ apartment.
We know that same night Toombs sent a text message to her mom asking for help – fearing for her life.
“My daughter, she has a good heart and she thinks that everybody is her friend, and that’s part of the issue I have with her,” said Twyla Taylor, Toombs’ mother.
According to the documents, Finkbeiner started choking Toombs. Then Harjo, turned to Vasquez and said, “Finish her off.”
Harjo and Finkbeiner then took off to Arkansas.
“The OSBI agents were in Arkansas, and they also sent that county a BOLO, to be on the lookout, for this vehicle, and the individuals in it were persons of interest that we wanted to talk to,” said Detective Tompkins.
As for Vasquez, he was left in Oklahoma with Toombs’ body and a story to tell police.
“On any investigation, it`s a big puzzle and there are still a lot of pieces to the puzzle we`re trying to tie in,” said Detective Tompkins.
Finkbeiner and Harjo are both charged with two counts of murder – one for Toombs and the other for the baby. They both will be extradited back to Oklahoma.
