(CNN) — Residents of a small Oklahoma town were warned Tuesday that the shooting deaths of two schoolgirls may be the work of someone who lives in the area.
Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, shown at her school in 2006, was killed Sunday while on a walk with a friend.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t let my kids out walking unless there were other people around that you knew,” Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate said Tuesday. “We don’t know what the threat is.”
Authorities said Tuesday that they were offering a $14,000 reward for information related to the deaths of close friends Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta.
The girls left Taylor’s home about 5 p.m. Sunday, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent Ben Rosser said Tuesday. They headed north on the rural county road where Taylor lived, toward a bridge that is a popular gathering spot. 
Watch Rosser talk about the case »
Less than 30 minutes later, Taylor’s grandfather found the girls in a ditch on the side of the road, Rosser said. They had multiple gunshot wounds in the head and chest. There were no signs of sexual assault.
“It’s just not likely that somebody pulled off U.S. 75 or I-40 and went there,” Rosser said, referring to where the girls were found, about three miles from the nearest major thoroughfare. “We’re thinking it’s a person from the local area.”
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The shooting occurred outside Weleetka, a town of about 1,000 residents 75 miles from Tulsa. Taylor and Skyla were the only girls in their sixth- and fifth-grade classes, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.
Rosser also said that although authorities were considering all avenues of investigation, they had not closed in on any suspects or persons of interest. Rosser said that evidence from the scene, including DNA and ballistics, had been sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lab for processing.
Rosser said authorities were also investigating tire tracks and footprints in determining a possible motive for the shootings.
“They were close together, as far as if they were fleeing, that’s one thing we’re trying to consider,” he said. “We’re looking at everything.”
Choate said that since the killings, his office has received numerous calls from concerned parents.
“I think anytime that you have people this age killed, regardless of whether it’s a girl or a boy, it has an effect on everyone,” Choate said. “The first thing that crosses my mind is, ‘What if that ever happened to me?’ “
Gone But Not Forgotten 