Source: Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office
Kore Bommeli was bound over for trial on murder and other charges Friday after a 4-day preliminary hearing, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office said.
A judge heard evidence from the state, and cross examination of witnesses and ruled there was substantial evidence to bind Bommelli over for trial on several felony charges, including first-degree murder of her roommate Talina Galloway.
The trial will be set for a later date. Additional updates will be provided when available.
On April 17, 2020 the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing persons and were told by Bommeli that Galloway was missing. Galloway and Bommeli lived in a lake community area of Wagoner County, located on the west side of Fort Gibson Lake.
Sheriff’s department immediately launched a missing persons investigation for Galloway. Since Galloway did not have any immediate family members in the Wagoner County area they believed so naturally we Bommeli would be the best source of information on the possible whereabouts and habits of Galloway.
During this part of the investigation Bommeli was merely a witness and the person reporting, the department said.
Investigators soon realized that Bommeli exhibited suspicious behavior, gave inconsistent statements, and later was proven to be deceptive in her reporting of the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
Investigators from the sheriff’s department executed multiple search warrants in multiple jurisdictions, conducted many interviews and processed multiple possible crime scenes, as well as collected trace evidence and collected and submitted blood and DNA evidence for examination. Timelines were examined, investigated, and verified.
Investigators determined Bommeli knew more than she was sharing with investigators and became a “person of interest in the disappearance of Galloway.
Deputies said the investigation produced evidence leading investigators to believe that Bommeli possessed direct knowledge of the whereabouts of Galloway and Bommeli soon broke off communications with investigators.
On June 8 2020 a witness in the area of Polk County, Ark. observed a pickup towing a small, enclosed trailer, the sheriff’s department said. The truck and trailer and were observed driving into a secluded area that is adjacent to the Ouachita National Forrest south of Mena.
The witness was suspicious of the activity and walked into the area where the witness believed the truck had traveled to. The witness located the truck and trailer and observed that at that time, there was nobody around the vehicle.
Deputies said the witness documented the tag number on the vehicle and denoted that there was foul odor coming from the trailer, and that there was a foul-smelling thick liquid pooled in the floor of the trailer.
The witness believed that the activity was suspicious, left the area and contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to report the suspicious activity.
The Polk County Sheriff’s did not contact with the witness but did dispatch a deputy to the area to investigate.
The witness, not realizing that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded, assumed that the situation was resolved and did not press the manner any further.
On Jan. 14 the same witness was walking in the woods and came upon a white box-type freezer with the lid taped shut. The witness reported that there was a foul smell in the area of the freezer.
The witness notified the Polk County Sheriff’s Office of the discovery and the tag number of the vehicle that she had documented the previous year. That tag number was found to be registered to missing Galloway.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and discovered what appeared to be dismembered human remains inside the freezer. Arkansas State Medical Examiner accepted jurisdiction of the remains and took possession of the freezer. On Jan.19 Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office investigators received a “tentative report of identification” from the Arkansas State Medical Examiner identifying the human remains as Galloway. Manner of death was identified as “homicide.”
Wagoner County Investigators began searching for Bommeli, who was out on bond from a previous Wagoner County case of illegal possession of a firearm. Bommeli was believed to be in the area of Dane County, Wisconsin.
Dane County Sheriff’s located Bommeli and she was arrested without incident.
Assisting in the case was the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Polk County (Ark.) Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Medical Examiner’s Office, Dane County Sheriff’s Office (Wis.) and Heath Underwood , Wagoner County Emergency.
“The investigation into the disappearance Talina Galloway was very tedious and exhaustive and these types of investigations will always test the resolve of any law enforcement investigator,” Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott said in a statement. “Wagoner County residents can be proud tonight of the dedicated investigators who worked tirelessly to ensure Galloway did not die in vain. Virtually every member of our investigative division worked around the clock, traveling to multiple jurisdictions across multiple states, during a global pandemic, navigating difficult investigative barriers, to solve this terrible crime.”
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