Oklahoma
Family reveals new details on ‘haunting’ hospital stay of Oklahoma college students allegedly drugged sipping water at Cancun resort
Family members feared for the lives of the two Oklahoma college students allegedly drugged at a swim-up bar in Mexico as they waited in different countries while one of the girl’s boyfriends was repeatedly denied access to their hospital rooms.
Kaylie Pitzer and Zara Hull were vacationing in Cancun with their friends when they ordered some water at the resort’s pool bar on Aug. 2nd and suddenly slumped over.
A terrifying photo captured the students with their heads lying on the bar while they held hands before they were wheelchaired up to their rooms.
Hull, 20, was later rushed to a private hospital when she began convulsing from the drugs, which US doctors believed to be synthetic fentanyl, according to KWTV.
Her boyfriend, Jake Snider went with her to the ICU where she was “so sedated that she couldn’t open her eyes or speak,” Snider’s mother said of the horrifying ordeal.
“My son was not allowed to stay with her. We had to pay $200 for him to have a room upstairs for the night. It was the 2nd floor of the hospital and the floor was completely VACANT. The room was merely a hospital room,” Stephanie Snider wrote on Facebook.
Snider revealed that her son was too scared to sleep because he feared something would happen to him.
“He couldn’t get in downstairs again to see Zara until the next morning. We sat in 2 different countries- praying all night for safety and health,” she said.
When Jake Snider got down to Hull at 8 a.m. on Aug. 3, Snider said her son found Hull on a ventilator, with a catheter, and under heavy sedation.
Hospital staff allegedly said they were taking Hull to another location for an MRI, which the family speculated was a cover for trafficking.
“He told them to STOP EVERYTHING he’s taking her out. We told him, ‘do NOT let them take her, do NOT let them do anything else to her-we were working on getting them out!’”
“We believe they were planning to take her away to be trafficked or perhaps even to take her organs (which is what we were later told is a common thing that is done),” Snider’s post added. “They most likely would have done something to my son as well, possibly even death.”
The hospital allegedly had already demanded a $10,000 deposit prior to any treatment and then demanded another $25,000 “by Sunday morning to continue treatment or $5,000 to release, Snider previously said on Facebook.
Hull and Snider’s families attempted to find Dallas area hospitals to bring Hull, but were continuously rejected as the private hospital wouldn’t cooperate in sending over her medical records
Thirty hours later, a family friend secured a $28,000 private plane to medevac Hull and Snider to Texas where she hospital as Jake had obtained a partial list of medications Hull was given.
Pitzer and her boyfriend secured a flight to Dallas where they made a “beeline” to the Dallas hospital and the two best friends embraced, she told News 9.
Snider shared that she and the parents of the girls still can’t “close their eyes” over the “haunting”, while Jake “is never going to forget the hell he went through to get Zara and himself out of there alive.”
“For Zara and Kaylie, they have horrible feelings of only what we told them happened to them and yet no memory at all during the ordeal – but are tortured by the fact it happened to them,” Snider concluded.
Hull’s convulsions were her body reacting to the drugs.
She was released from the hospital on Friday but is expecting more medical bills with a GoFundMe set up for them.
Republican political strategists in Oklahoma have been in a rat race to finish the week as several mainstays of the state’s Republican party — and some without elected experience — top the charts for replacing Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who has been tapped to become the new Secretary of Homeland Security.
Trump reportedly frustrated with DHS Secretary Noem over $220M ad campaign; President confirms Markwayne Mullin will take over.
The choice begins with Governor Kevin Stitt. He will appoint someone to serve until a new senator is elected to a full term during the general election in the fall.
While a 2021 law requires an appointed senator to swear they will not file to run in the election, ignoring the law carries no real consequences.
Oklahoma’s billionaire owner of Continental Resources, Harold Hamm, is reportedly interested in the appointment. A source close to the Governor confirmed to News 9 a story first reported by NOTUS.org that Hamm called Stitt asking for the appointment.
Separately, NOTUS.org reports that Hamm called the White House about his ambition to get the appointment.
Representatives for Hamm did not return a call to News 9.
Another source told News 9 that Rep. Kevin Hern has begun calling close political allies and donors about his plan to enter the election, which has a filing deadline of April 3.
Rep. Stephanie Bice already posted to Facebook that she is exploring entering the race.
Political sources close to Governor Stitt also highlighted that he could appoint himself to the role — and run in the election.
Stitt has not commented on who exactly he plans to appoint.
Kansas State basketball coaching search breakdown
Kansas State beat reporter Wyatt Wheeler breaks down the Wildcats’ search for their next head men’s basketball coach.
Kansas State women’s basketball’s fairytale run will continue.
A day after rallying to keep their Big 12 Tournament run alive, the 12th-seeded Wildcats got hot in the fourth quarter to upset fifth-seeded Oklahoma State in a 74-73 quarterfinal win on Friday, March 6, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
After Oklahoma State made a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left, it accidentally fouled Tess Heal with 1.3 seconds remaining, sending her to the line. She split her free throws, missing the backend, leading to a Cowboys miss on a desperation heave.
The Wildcats will play in Saturday’s 3 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Friday afternoon’s matchup between league-champion TCU and ninth-seeded BYU.
Kansas State got a special shooting performance from freshman Jordan Spieser, who showed why she was considered a five-star prospect, as she finished with 21 points and five made triples. After Oklahoma State cut the Wildats’ lead to two with 46 seconds left, Speiser made her final 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.
This came after the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to overcome a four-point deficit with 4:41 left in the fourth. Taryn Sides’ layup with 1:48 left put the Wildcats up by five. Kansas State’s largest deficit was 13 points early in the third quarter.
With the win, Kansas State became the first 12-seed to beat a four-seed since 2008. It came a day after the Wildcats scored the final 21 points to overcome a 14-point deficit against No. 21 Texas Tech.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
Oklahoma
5-seed Oklahoma knocks off Florida 82-64 to advance to the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals
The 5-seed Sooners used a 10-0 run to start the third quarter to pull away and beat the 12-seed Gators 82-64 in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Massive Third Quarter
OU outscored Florida 27-7 in the third quarter to build a big lead before winning by 18. The Sooners started the quarter on a 10-oh run that was highlighted by an epic fast break bucket.
Beers Joins Elite Company
Oklahoma center Raegan Beers reached a historic milestone Thursday night in her 100th career start. The All-SEC standout became the third player in Oklahoma history—and the only active Division I player—to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds.
With the achievement, Beers joins legendary Sooners Courtney Paris (2,731 points, 2,032 rebounds) and Molly McGuire (2,147 points, 1,071 rebounds) in the exclusive club.
Beers now totals 2,003 points and 1,207 rebounds in a remarkable college career that includes two seasons at Oregon State and two at Oklahoma.
In the win over Florida, Beers had 18 points and seven rebounds.
Super Freshman
Freshman Aaliyah Chavez continued her impressive debut season on Thursday. The only freshman named to an All-SEC team this week, Chavez finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.
She has now scored in double figures in 24 straight games, showcasing remarkable consistency in her first college season.
Chavez also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, extending her SEC record for consecutive made free throws to 57. She now sits just two shy of the Oklahoma program record, currently held by Taylor Robertson.
Next Up
Oklahoma will face No. 6 LSU on Friday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The matchup marks a chance for the Sooners to respond after the Tigers handed them their largest loss of the season earlier this year. On Jan. 18, LSU defeated Oklahoma 91–72 in Norman, making Friday’s game a highly anticipated rematch.
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