True Crime Chronicles: Late-night shooting of Oklahoma mother of three in 2913 remains unsolved

Forty-four-year-old Paula Sue Ivey George was the mother of three sons. A Texas native born on October 8, 1968, in Dimmitt, she had spent her childhood in the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle area, graduating from Dimmitt High School in 1987.

She attended college at West Texas State University (WTSU), Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU), and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Paula had worked as a plant manager for Pellets Plus in Wakita, Oklahoma, later starting a small business making lotions and soaps called JPEG Goat Suds, and was employed as an electrician for Sunderland Electric in Byron, Oklahoma, in April 2013.

The attractive single mother had a lifelong love for animals and was active in 4-H and FFA during her younger days, remaining involved through her sons. She loved showing cattle, sheep, and goats.

Horses were her favorite. She broke horses, loved to ride, and was even a registered horse massage therapist. She would adopt any animal that needed adopting. She spent countless hours helping children with 4-H and FFA projects.

She was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), American Boer Goat Association (ABGA), Oklahoma Youth Meat Goat Association (OYMGA), and the Wakita United Methodist Church. She was active in school activities and served as a former School Board Member for Wakita Schools.

Paula's Facebook page, which remains active to this day, featured posts about wildcats approaching her rural home, her excitement over acquiring an "old lady" chainsaw that started with just one pull, and her frustration with carpenters who "hide electrical boxes in the walls."

On the night of April 30, 2013, Paula was in the bedroom of her home, located at the intersection of Kiowa Road and Highway 132 between Manchester and Wakita, when someone stepped onto the porch and fired shots through her bedroom window.

She was in bed at the time, leading investigators to conclude the killing was premeditated and that the perpetrator knew the layout of her home.

The shooting occurred between 10:30 p.m. and midnight.

Although the home was in a rural setting, the intersection was a high-traffic area due to oilfield business throughout the surrounding countryside, prompting authorities to believe potential witnesses may have been nearby.

However, no one has come forward with information.

No public suspect has ever been identified in the case, which remains unsolved more than 12 years later.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

If you have information that might help solve this cold case, you are asked to contact Grant County Sheriff Scott Sterling at 580-395-2356 or submit tips anonymously to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.