Cold Case Files: Thirty-five-year-old mother was found in shallow grave near Wildhorse Mountain in Sallisaw

On June 2, 1978, Sandra Kay Carter-Davis, a 35-year-old mother of five daughters, was last seen entering Ray’s Bar in downtown Sallisaw, Sequoyah County, Oklahoma.

On November 23, 1978, hunters and their children discovered her skeletal remains in a shallow grave, 8-10 inches deep, in an open field near Wild Horse Mountain, south of Sallisaw and west of U.S. Highway 59.

Heavy rainfall in the fall of 1978 likely made the grave more visible. Her blouse and bra remained on her remains, with her pants and undergarments neatly folded beneath her body. No shoes or murder weapon were recovered.

The medical examiner’s report confirmed she was stabbed, with cuts and stains on her blouse and broken ribs supporting this finding.

Sandra lived with her mother in Sallisaw at the time of her death. Her daughter, Kristi Soileau, was three years old when Sandra was murdered and grew up believing her mother died of natural causes. At age 11, Kristi found a newspaper clipping revealing the truth, which drove her to seek justice for her mother.

The Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office initially investigated the case in 1978, later transferring it to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), as was standard for homicides.

Several individuals were interviewed, and a person of interest was identified as the prime suspect, but insufficient evidence prevented an arrest. The suspect reportedly left the area.

Herman Edward Lamb, Jr. was considered a suspect at one point but was not linked to Sandra’s murder due to lack of evidence. Lamb was also investigated for other homicides, including the 1975 kidnapping and murder of Geraldine Martin in Tulsa, but was not charged in those cases.

In March 2013, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Ron Lockhart, reopened the case at Kristi Soileau’s request, prompted by the arrest of an unrelated suspect in a 1997 homicide.

The OSBI provided the original case file, and investigators identified leads from 1978 worth pursuing. Sheriff Lockhart noted that DNA evidence was available for testing, a potential lead given advancements in forensic technology. No public updates confirm the results of any DNA analysis, and the case remains unsolved as of June 2025.

The person of interest from 1978 is still being pursued, though their identity has not been disclosed.

Kristi Soileau, raised by adoptive parents in Houston, Texas, has been a driving force in keeping her mother’s case active. She has expressed a desire to confront the killer, stating, “I want to know who did it. I want to be able to talk to them. I want to look them in the face and just say, ‘You know that was my mom.’”

Kristi envisions attending a trial to ensure justice, describing herself as wanting to be “the ghost in the courtroom.” She praised Sheriff Lockhart’s efforts at the time and remains hopeful for closure.

The investigation faces significant challenges. Nearly 47 years have passed, complicating efforts due to fading witness memories, deceased individuals, or reluctance to come forward.

Kristi noted in 2013 that people were “closed-lipped” during her earlier inquiries. The absence of the murder weapon and limited physical evidence--only clothing and skeletal remains--further hinders progress. While DNA evidence was mentioned in 2013, the outcome remains unclear.

Sandra’s case is one of several unsolved homicides in Sequoyah County, including an unidentified female found in 1994 near Dora and remains of a woman and three children found in 1985 near a hunter’s cabin. No direct connection to Sandra’s case is indicated.

Anyone with information about Sandra Kay Carter-Davis’s murder is urged to contact the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office at (918) 775-9155 or the OSBI at cold.case@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.

Tips can be submitted anonymously. Even small details could help resolve this nearly 47-year-old case and bring closure to Sandra’s family.