The death of 46-year-old Amanda Harmes, a beloved teacher, mother, and grandmother, has left her family grappling for answers in Mogi, Oklahoma. Found deceased in a stranger’s backyard miles from her home, the circumstances surrounding her passing have raised more questions than answers.
Harmes was last seen on January 13th, the day before her birthday. While the medical examiner’s preliminary report ruled out sexual assault or significant trauma, concluding that abrasions found on her body were consistent with her location, Harmes’ family remains unconvinced.
Adding to the mystery, Harmes left her home without her phone or money, a detail her family insists was out of character. Security footage captured her getting into a stranger’s car, a man who later inserted himself into the investigation by delivering Harmes’ hat, coat, and gloves to the police.
Harmes’ mother, Shelley Townsen, and family spokesperson, Gina Saer, have voiced their frustrations with the police investigation, claiming a lack of thoroughness. They allege that the man who picked Harmes up was never brought in for formal questioning or a lie detector test, despite inconsistencies in his account of events.
“We feel like because she was drinking and had medication in her system that she’s just been labeled as someone who didn’t matter,” Saer stated. “There’s too many inconsistencies.”
Adding to the family’s suspicions, the man lived directly across the street from where Harmes’ body was found. She was discovered on her back with her hand and foot entangled in a four-foot fence, injuries inconsistent with the facial trauma she sustained.
Harmes’ family posits that she may have left her house, without essential belongings, to purchase alcohol, a pattern she had exhibited in the past. They believe she may have accepted a ride from the stranger, assuming he would take her to the liquor store and back home.
Adding another layer to the case, the medical examiner found traces of alcohol and benzodiazepines in Harmes’ system. While hypothermia couldn’t be ruled out as a cause of death due to the freezing temperatures that night, the family believes the full story has yet to be uncovered.
Despite the preliminary report, the family’s concerns remain. They cite a lack of blood at the scene, contradicting the severity of Harmes’ injuries, and the unexplained delay in examining crucial evidence, including Harmes’ Fitbit and DNA samples, by the Mogi Police Department.
“We know Mandy’s younger sister is an attorney,” Saer shared. “She did speak with the ME’s office… they have sperm sample there, they have fingernail clippings, and they have her Fitbit that would tell us exactly when our heart… when our heart stopped. It’s still there. They said the Mogi PD has to come pick it up and test all that, but they’ve not picked it up.”
Adding to the frustration, the Mogi PD claimed they never received a call from the medical examiner’s office, despite the latter’s confirmation of possessing the evidence.
Desperate for answers, the family is calling for a more thorough investigation, urging the involvement of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
“Hopefully, with this traction… they’ll they’ll do the right thing,” Saer expressed. “Because, like I said, we’ve always been supporters of the police department here… and we felt like they would protect and serve us and do right, but I feel like, again, Mandy’s been labeled as as an addict or an alcoholic, but she wasn’t an addict.”
As the investigation stands, Harmes’ family is left with more questions than answers, their grief compounded by the lack of closure. They urge anyone with information about Amanda Harmes’ final hours to contact the Mogi Police Department.
