Darrell Schlatter

Background

Darrell Schlatter was the husband of Terri Schlatter. Darrell Schlatter was the incarcerated prime suspect in the 1992 murder of Erika Hartwick and was long thought to be involved with the 1985 disappearance of his wife and son.

Terri Schlatter and her son Nathan had been missing since 1985. Terri Schlatter’s sister urged authorities to contact a psychic after being impressed by what she described as the psychic’s abilities.

A. Louise, identified as a psychic in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, became involved after being contacted in connection with the 1992 murder investigation.

Erika Hartwick was the victim of a September 1992 murder.

Investigation

A. Louise was contacted by a family friend of the September 1992 murder victim, Erika Hartwick, with the hope of gaining more information about what caused Hartwick’s death.

During A. Louise’s investigation into the 1992 murder, she reported picking up “images about a woman and child in a pond” that seemed to relate to the 1985 case. She also claimed to have picked up “strong vibrations” and repeated claims about “the images of two bodies, a pond, and thick mud.”

At one point, A. Louise claimed to have made contact with Terri Schlatter’s spirit. She said:

“I started picturing Terri and her child, the images of them being weighted down. I could actually sense her being thrown in. It was kind of like a dream, very vague, no color.”

A. Louise then claimed that Terri Schlatter’s spirit indicated that her burial place was at the bottom of a large pond located close to a former home of the Schlatters.

Unsure how to proceed with the search, investigators requested help from Search and Rescue Dogs of Oklahoma, which trains dogs to locate buried human cadavers.

Deputy U.S. Marshal James Caldwell spoke with A. Louise several times. Though skeptical, Caldwell arranged for her to visit several different locations around the Tulsa area in May 1993.

Search efforts based on the psychic’s claims

A. Louise’s information led investigators to the area of the pond that she indicated.

The dogs were brought out separately. The investigators said two of them “alerted” within 10 feet of the location indicated by the psychic, and a third hit directly downwind from the spot. With this evidence, investigators decided to proceed with draining the pond.

Lending further credibility to the psychic was word that Darrell Schlatter committed suicide in his jail cell after learning that the pond was being searched. The correlation was later discounted.

After the water was drained in June, diggers had to wait for the remaining mud to dry. By July, investigators dug by hand and then began to use heavy equipment, but they failed to locate any bodies.

Dogs were brought in again, but this time they were unable to pick up any scent. Trainers blamed the dogs’ failure on the hardened mud, which they claimed can block decomposition gases from being released.

An investigator commented on the slow progress, saying:

“Obviously, this has to be concluded at some point. We can't dig to China.”

After weeks of digging with no bodies found, the search was abandoned.

People

• Darrell Schlatter — husband of Terri Schlatter; incarcerated prime suspect in the 1992 murder of Erika Hartwick; long thought to be involved with the 1985 disappearance of his wife and son; committed suicide in jail before trial.
• Terri Schlatter — missing since 1985; husband was Darrell Schlatter; psychic claimed her spirit indicated a burial place at the bottom of a large pond.
• Nathan Schlatter — son of Terri Schlatter; missing since 1985.
• Erika Hartwick — victim of a September 1992 murder.
• A. Louise — psychic identified as being in Oklahoma City; reported images and “strong vibrations” and claimed contact with Terri Schlatter’s spirit.
• Deputy U.S. Marshal James Caldwell — spoke with A. Louise and arranged for her to visit several locations around the Tulsa area in May 1993.
• Search and Rescue Dogs of Oklahoma — provided trained dogs to locate buried human cadavers.
• Terri Schlatter’s sister — urged Deputy U.S. Marshal James Caldwell to contact the psychic.

Outcome

No bodies were found during the pond search and the search was abandoned after weeks of digging.