Michelle Thomas was found deceased alongside a highway in Wagner, Oklahoma during June 2005. The young woman was only 25 years old at the time of her death. The investigation into Michelle's death has been open and unsolved for over two decades. Many of the details, including how Michelle died, remain a mystery to this day.
Michelle's stepfather, John Waggoner, worked as a police dispatcher for the Talihina Police Department at the time of Michelle's death. On June 23rd, 2005, Waggoner was driving along State Highway 1 when he noticed a passerby had stopped at a pull-off at the State Highway 82 junction. He decided to pull over himself to check the scene. It was then that Waggoner saw something unexpected about 10 feet away from the road: the badly decomposed body of his stepdaughter.
Michelle's body was ultimately identified via dental records. An investigation into Michelle's death was immediately launched, but a cause of death was unable to be determined. Detectives stated that this was due to her body having been left in the Oklahoma summer heat for nearly two days, which sped up decomposition.
At first, Waggoner thought Michelle might have gotten hit by a car. However, investigators reportedly said that Michelle did not have any broken bones, nor did she have any other obvious signs of trauma. Additionally, a toxicology report ruled that Michelle did not have any drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death.
According to reports, Michelle was last seen alive during the early morning hours of June 22nd, 2005. She had been at her grandmother's home in Talihina but left the residence on foot around 2:00 AM. For unknown reasons, she left her car behind. Michelle was later seen walking in downtown Talihina around 4:30 AM - an area close to where her body was later found.
Investigators questioned the people in Michelle's life but were unable to find a person of interest. Michelle's ex-boyfriend, with whom she had recently broken up, was cooperative with the investigation and is not believed to have been involved in her death. It is unknown if Michelle was seen with anyone else in the hours leading up to her passing.
Michelle's family members have pointed out some other suspicious circumstances surrounding her death as well. Michelle always had long blonde hair, but when her body was found, her hair was short and black. Additionally, Waggoner has questioned why or how there were seemingly no witnesses. The location along the highway where Michelle was found reportedly has a decent amount of traffic throughout the night. How is it possible that nobody saw anything until the evening of June 23rd?
That question, along with the many other questions in this case, remain unanswered. Michelle's death has been classified as a cold case by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. If you have any information that could help solve her case, please contact the OSBI at cold.case@osbi.ok.gov.
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