Oklahoma
Friend of missing Okla. teen speaks out after Dennis Rader named prime suspect in disappearance
PAWHUSKA, Okla. (KWCH) – Approaching a week after an Oklahoma sheriff named Dennis Rader as the prime suspect in the 1976 disappearance of a 16-year-old girl, 12 News spoke with a friend of the teen who is speaking out, hopeful that new evidence can put an end to a near-50-year search.
The last known whereabouts of then 16-year-old Cynthia Kinney was in 1976 at a laundromat in downtown Pawhuska, Okla. There hadn’t been much development in the decades-long cold case until last week when an Oklahoma sheriff in Osage County called Rader, the serial killer known as “BTK,” the prime suspect in Kinney’s disappearance. Kinney’s friend, Tjuana Boulanger spent years searching for Kinney. She recalled time spent driving the back roads of Osage County, hoping to find a clue.
“My friends and I drove around for years and years and years after that, every back road, every lake road, every oil lease, trying to find her, trying to find anything out of the ordinary,” Boulanger said. “We just wanted to find Cindy and we just never had any luck.”
But with new evidence in the hands of the sheriff, like everyone that knew Kinney, Boulanger hopes for justice and closure for Kinney’s family.
“People don’t just disappear like that, don’t just disappear,” Boulanger said.
For now, all Boulanger has is a photo of her friend and fond memories of Kinney in school.
“I can still see that little girl be-bopping down them hallways and she’s just so outgoing and always laughing and kidding. And at games she was just fire. She’d get out there and get cheering. She was just so cute,” Boulanger said.
When it comes to Rader being the prime suspect, she said she believes his connection to the case is possible.
“I really do now think it’s a possibility after I’ve heard a little more about it and it could be a possibility. But that man’s not ever going to admit it,” Boulanger said.
She shared a message for whoever is responsible for her friend’s disappearance.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Boulanger said. “You’ve already got your thrills of what you did to her. We wanna bring her home. Please let us bring her home, you know, and Jesus will forgive you.”
Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma State men’s basketball adds former Putnam City North standout C.J. Smith
![Oklahoma State men’s basketball adds former Putnam City North standout C.J. Smith](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/02/11/NOKL/4531f22a-09ec-47fa-a2ee-b623632c9919-AZ6I0577.jpg?auto=webp&crop=3859,2171,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz talks about reviving Cowboys’ program
Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz talks about reviving Cowboys’ program
OSU ATHLETICS
The first non-transfer portal addition for new Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz came with in-state ties.
OSU added junior-college transfer C.J. Smith, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound swingman from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College on Saturday.
Smith is originally from Oklahoma City and concluded his high school career at Putnam City North, where he led the Panthers to a 24-3 record averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2022-23. He was a first-team selection on The Oklahoman’s Big All-City squad.
In his lone season at Coffeyville, Smith played 23.4 minutes per game, averaging 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.
He will be a sophomore next season, as he joins a veteran-heavy Cowboy roster thanks to the depth of veteran additions Lutz made through the transfer portal.
More: Oklahoma State basketball schedule: 2024-25 Big 12 opponents set for Cowboys, Cowgirls
Oklahoma
Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class
![Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class](https://kfor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/thunder-logo-big.jpg?w=1280)
Oklahoma City, OK – A new era of Thunder basketball was officially introduced Saturday. Nikola Topić, Dillon Jones, and Ajay Mitchell all met the media to discuss making it to the next level and being members of the Thunder.
Topić will miss the upcoming season with a knee injury. Many draft boards had him listed as a top four talent in the draft, but the knee injury did scare some teams off.
As for Jones, he said his time at Weber State as “the guy” prepared him for what he needs to do to help OKC win with their current talent.
Ajay Mitchell joins the fold as a second round choice and knows his role could be impromptu and less consistent than usual, but that’s something he says he’s prepared for.
Hear from all three Thunder rookies in the video above.
Oklahoma
Report: Oklahoma Baseball Coach Skip Johnson to Leave for Texas A&M
![Report: Oklahoma Baseball Coach Skip Johnson to Leave for Texas A&M](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4028,h_2265,x_0,y_67/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_sooners/01j1gdadgkdz6dmz12tx.jpg)
Oklahoma baseball fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
OU head coach Skip Johnson is set to stay in Norman despite interest from Texas A&M, D1Baseball managing editor Kendall Rogers reported on Saturday.
SCOOP: Texas A&M is narrowing down its candidates, and @OU_Baseball head coach Skip Johnson will stay put in Norman as he is expected to sign a new deal with the #Sooners sometime today. Skip was most definitely in the mix, but #Aggies appear to be zeroing in on three guys.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 29, 2024
Johnson had a pair of high-level meetings yesterday with Oklahoma’s administration, a source close to the situation confirmed with Sooners on SI, helping both sides reach the conclusion that Johnson will continue to lead the program into the Southeastern Conference.
Rogers also reported Johnson is expected to ink a new contract with the Sooners.
Keeping Johnson in place is crucial as Oklahoma takes on the rigor of the SEC, as his last season in the Big 12 went as well as anyone could have hoped for.
The Sooners won the Big 12 Regular Season Title for the first time in program history, and hosted an NCAA Regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park for the first time in over a decade.
Though the Sooners were ousted by UConn in the regional final, OU finished the year 40-21 overall.
In seven seasons at Oklahoma, Johnson is now 229-153 overall including four trips to the NCAA Tournament which is headlined by the Sooners’ magical run to the College World Series Championship Series in 2022.
Johnson also had his team 14-4 in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the pandemic, which would have likely resulted in another trip to the postseason.
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