WEBB CITY, Okla. –
According to the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a residence in the rural community of Webb City near Shidler around 6 p.m. on June 28 after the child was reported missing. Police say a large-scale search effort was launched immediately, involving approximately 20 law enforcement personnel, including deputies, reserve officers, Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers, and other assisting agencies.
Authorities say that search teams deployed drones, K-9 units and ATVs for a coordinated grid search of the surrounding area. While investigators began the process of issuing a missing child alert, the Sheriff’s office said the case initially did not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert. Officials also shared the child’s information on social media.
Through interviews with family members, deputies identified a suspect and used emergency cell phone triangulation to track him to a remote ranch area north of Lyman, near the Kay County and Cowley County, Kansas line. The area falls within the far northwestern corner of Osage County.
Deputies say they discovered the suspect’s vehicle hidden in a field and attempted to make contact. When they identified themselves and activated emergency lights, police say the suspect fled the scene, beginning a pursuit that spanned approximately 20 miles.
Police say the chase ultimately looped back toward Webb City, where deputies had established containment positions. Authorities say the suspect briefly stopped near the child’s home, allowing the girl to exit the vehicle. Deputies immediately secured the child and reunited her with her family.
Authorities say the man continued to flee at high speed toward State Highway 11. During the final phase of the chase, police say his vehicle left the roadway and crashed. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Police have identified as 51-year-old Jimmy Allison Schimmeles Jr., of Shidler.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is handling the crash investigation, while the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is assisting with the death investigation.
