The Affidavit for Arrest of Denise Wolf has been released to the public and gives insight both into what is reported to have occurred in the murder of 12-year-old Cheyenne Wolf, as well as what led authorities to learn of Cheyenne’s remains. On June 16, 2009 Denise Wolf’s brother, Edward Davis, who lives in Oregon, spoke with police detective Ruben Garcia of the Ardmore, Oklahoma police department. He told Garcia that his sister, Denise, had told him of the death of Cheyenne Wolf and how she, her husband Abel (Cheyenne’s sperm-donor) and Able’s two other children and disposed of Cheyenne’s body. He also told Detective Garcia Cheyenne’s death had occurred while the family lived in Bryan County in Bokchito, Oklahoma near Durant.
Detective Garcia (who is in Love County) then contacted the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office to pass on the information. Detective Garcia continued to work the case in conjunction with Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI) agent David Houston. Learning that a possible murder involving interstate movement may have occurred, the FBI became involved. FBI agent Justin Noble, on July 2, 2009, contacted Abel Wolf to inquire about the welfare and whereabouts of his daughter, Cheyenne Wolf. At first Abel continued the lie. He told Agent Noble that Cheyenne had been taken from the family by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS). But as Agent Noble continued the questioning Abel broke and said he was tired of “running and hiding” and wanted to tell the truth. (Of course, that would be Abel’s version of the truth.)
This is what Abel had to say about the death of his daughter, Cheyenne:
In March or April 2008 (because the death of your child doesn’t really stick with you all that well, and it’s just another day that gets lost in your daily activities like burying her body under the front porch or going to play golf while she’s dying of head trauma) Abel and Denise Wolf became angry with Cheyenne at the dinner table one evening because Cheyenne wouldn’t eat. They both began yelling at Cheyenne and eventually the “argument” (I assume with a 12-year-old disabled little girl) became “heated”. Abel felt he was beginning to lose his temper so he and one of the other children stepped outside so Abel could smoke a cigarette and settle down.
While the two stood outside they listened to Denise Wolf continue to scream at Cheyenne. After 20 minutes of listening to this Abel heard a loud “thud”. He first stated that when he heard the noise he went back in the house and found Cheyenne dead. Abel later recanted this statement saying Cheyenne was not dead at that time and he lied because he didn’t want him or Denise to “get in trouble for not seeking medical care” for Cheyenne (over, say, murder or something like that). He also admitted that in the years that have passed since Cheyenne’s murder, he and Denise have often engaged in what we all know is the typical family campfire activity of making “numerous cover up stories” about Cheyenne’s death.
So back to the night Cheyenne received a fatal head injury at the hands of her abusive stepmother…
Abel’s story changed to when he entered the house his third child was sitting on the couch and Denise was sitting in her recliner. Cheyenne was down on her knees on the floor near her bedroom door. Abel, now stepping into the triage nurse role, said she acted as though she had a concussion. Abel asked Cheyenne to complete some simple tasks (don’t worry, he knew what he was doing) such as rubbing her stomach, and eating some corn. She flunked both. He also stated at that point her communication was limited to being able to say “yes” or “no”. He then took his medical-issued Dollar General flashlight and tried to dilate her pupils. Bingo! Pass. While Abel felt she was SEVERELY injured he felt she’d be okie-dokie after a little rest. So in his infinite wisdom and against medical advice that has been known for nigh on over a century or two, he put her to bed and let her go to sleep when he thought she had a concussion.
Abel Wolf shared the abuse (as previously covered here at The Hinky Meter) he was aware Cheyenne had been suffering for some time at the hands of Denise Wolf. He also stated he believed Denise had done something to Cheyenne during that argument that ultimately caused Cheyenne’s death. He did not check on Cheyenne that night, nor the next morning. He got up, went to work until 3 p.m., and then went to play golf. While golfing, Denise called him and told him he needed to come home immediately. Upon arrival he found that Cheyenne was dead. Abel states he emptied a plastic bin that had been used for the kids’ toys, put Cheyenne’s body in a sleeping bag, and stuffed her in the bin. He then moved the bin to a detached shed. Abel and Denise told the other two children, when they awoke from their nap, that Cheyenne had a seizure and they had to take her to the hospital.
Two to four weeks later Cheyenne’s body began to smell. Abel states he removed her body from the bin, and buried her under the front porch of the house. He pitched the bin and the sleeping bag into a nearby creek. Three months later the family decided to move because people were doing the unconscionable -they were asking where Cheyenne was. So he dug Cheyenne’s remains up, which had decomposed and put “the pieces in three large ziplock bags”. He then put those into two large Rubbermaid containers, filled the containers with dirt, and marked them with big black X’s. (Just in case he forgot what was in those particular containers, I guess.) The containers got loaded with the rest of the family’s belongings and they headed to Havre, Montana. It was August 2008.
Cheyenne’s remains stayed in a detached garage while the family lived in Havre. In early 2009 the family moved to Milton Freewater, Oregon. They took Cheyenne’s remains with them. At this point Cheyenne’s remains were placed in a chicken coop in the backyard of Denise’s father’s house. Abel states he and Denise told Grady Davis, Denise’s father, what was in the containers. Shortly after this Denise Wolf’s brother, Edward Davis, went out to the coop looking for something. It is not known whether this was the point at which Denise told Edward about Cheyenne’s death. After this incident Denise Wolf and her father Grady Davis moved the containers to a safer location – a rented storage unit.
Now….here’s where it gets rich. Because on July 2, 2009, FBI agent John Quinlan interviewed Denise Wolf. Here is HER version of Cheyenne’s death:
In April 2008 (Denise can at least remember the exact month Cheyenne died, it appears) Abel, Denise and one of Abel’s children were outside doing yard work. Cheyenne and Abel’s third child, identified as S.E.W. in the affidavit, were in the house. At some point Denise heard the volume on the TV go way up (I have no clue what this is supposed to mean – I guess this is Denise’s way of explaining why she didn’t hear what she is about to claim). THREE HOURS LATER (must be a damned big yard), Denise states she entered the house, heard screaming, and saw S.E.W. kicking Cheyenne. Denise rushed to save the child she usually tied to a chair, left in a bed wallowing in their own feces, beat with anything she could find, and forced to pace back and forth in the driveway. She pulled the other child off Cheyenne and checked for Cheyenne’s pulse. She did not call 911 because she knew Cheyenne was already dead. Instead, being the loving, grieving stepmom she is, she lovingly placed Cheyenne’s dead body in the bed and then slept next to her all night, with Abel sleeping in his recliner.
In other words, Denise Wolf blamed Cheyenne Wolf’s death ON A CHILD. Wait, not just a child, but Cheyenne’s sibling.
On July 2, 2009, FBI Agent Noble interviewed Cheyenne’s sibling, S.E.W. This is the child Denise is trying to blame Cheyenne’s death on. S.E.W. stated she had been told by Denise and Abel to lie about what happened to Cheyenne. She told Agent Noble that Cheyenne had had “a rough day” leading up to her death. The night before the abuse that ultimately caused Cheyenne’s death she had been strapped all night in her bed “so she could not roll around and make a mess”. That day Cheyenne was repeatedly spanked, whipped with a belt, and yelled at by Denise Wolf for various things. Cheyenne was then strapped to “the gold chair”. Around 5 to 7 pm that evening S.E.W. noticed that Cheyenne was not acting right. Cheyenne seemed dazed and confused and seemed to get worse as the night went on.
By morning Cheyenne was unable to move any of her body except her eyes. Denise told S.E.W. to give Cheyenne a kiss and tell her she loved her because “this could be your last chance”. Denise then had S.E.W. tie a sheet around Cheyenne’s neck as a bib because by this time Cheyenne was drooling, blinking uncontrollably, and taking short erratic breaths. At noon Denise made S.E.W. and her other sister, identified as S.M.W. in the affidavit, lie down in Denise’s bed for a nap….the same room Cheyenne was now strapped into her gold chair.
Around 3 p.m. Denise woke the two children up and informed them Cheyenne had had a seizure and had been taken to the hospital. For the next 3 months S.E.W. was told Cheyenne was in the hospital. Then one day S.E.W. pressed to see Cheyenne and confronted Denise about where her sister was. Denise looked at this child and told her she, S.E.W., had done something to Cheyenne so bad it made it her die and that she (S.E.W.) just couldn’t remember doing it.
On July 20, 2009 S.M.W. was interviewed by OSBI Agent David Houston. She told Agent Houston that the last time she saw her sister Cheyenne was really sick and throwing up a lot.
Let’s break here. In the case of she said/she said concerning Denise’s story of S.E.W. kicking Cheyenne to death, and S.E.W.’s account of Denise abusing Cheyenne the day before Cheyenne died, one could say that it is a tit-for-tat situation if it were not for the fact we have two children describing the symptoms of severe head trauma and side effects of an untreated brain hemorrhage due to that trauma. Adding the TWO children’s description of what they saw in Cheyenne’s degrading condition the next day after the alleged abuse from the “dinner table argument”, as described by Abel, AND the symptoms Abel described when he came back in the house after hearing the loud “thud”, that’s THREE people describing the after effects of a traumatic brain injury – at the hands of Denise Wolf.
On July 3, 2009 Umatilla County Detective Sergeant David Williamson executed a search warrant on the storage unit in Oregon, and retrieved the two containers holding Cheyenne’s remains. Inside the two containers were found Cheyenne’s remains, and a pull-up style diaper. In addition to the two containers, they retrieved a canvas tote bag containing two small plastic leg braces and medication prescribed to Cheyenne.
On July 23, 2009 OSBI Agents excavated the grave site under the front porch of the house in Bokchito, Oklahoma where Cheyenne was murdered. Included in their findings was a brain shunt and numerous small bones. These bones, along with the bones recovered from the containers in Oregon were analyzed by a forensic anthropologist who concluded they were from one deceased individual. DNA sampling was ordered for both sets of bones. The DNA testing concluded that all bones tested were from a biological child of Abel Wolf and Shawna Wolf (Cheyenne’s biological mother). The Medical Examiner’s report was then updated to identify the decedant as Cheyenne Wolf – who died in an unknown manner or an unknown cause.
And still…the charges against Denise Wolf and Abel Wolf do not include murder, manslaughter or any other form of homicide, just two counts of ENABLING child abuse, child abuse by NEGLECT, and the unlawful removal of a body.
Valhall.
Related posts:
- Cheyenne Wolf case: Abel Wolf negotiates plea deal, Denise to go to trial
- Cheyenne Wolf case: Trial of Denise Wolf takes off under full steam
- Cheyenne Wolf case: More charges for Denise Wolf
- Cheyenne Wolf case: Denise Wolf gets Life….times 5
- Cheyenne Wolf case: Denise Wolf’s trial to start January 31st
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