METH LAB EXPLOSION BECOMES MURDER CASE AFTER VICTIM DIES

MILL CREEK -- The investigation into an illicit methamphetamine lab
explosion June 30 that sent a fireball through a local residence and
injured two women has turned into a homicide case.

District Attorney Task Force agents said Teresa Hicks, who was burned on 50
percent of her body, when the lab exploded in her kitchen, died Monday at
Integris Baptist Burn Center in Oklahoma City.

District Attorney Mitch Sperry said late Tuesday Hicks' death changes the
focus of the case.

"It ups the ante," Sperry said. "It's now a homicide case."

Hicks, 39, and Stacy Hughes, 23, a visitor at the woman's home, were both
burned as a result the exploding lab that Task Force Agent Gary Watson had
described as "massive" and "highly volatile."

Johnston County Sheriff Jon Smith said at least 15 people were present in
the house when the explosion occurred, including Hick's husband, Gary, and
two small children. The children escaped burn injuries. Both children were
placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services. Smith said while
the children were not injured by the fire, they would undergo medical
evaluations to attempt to determine if they suffered from the toxic fumes
the lab created.

"Unfortunately, it's always the children who end up being the true victims
in incidents like this," he said.

Meanwhile, authorities say Hicks' husband has disappeared in a probable
effort to escape arrest. Authorities are searching for him.

Hicks and Hughes reportedly left the residence shortly after the fireball
seared through the kitchen and local firefighters were called. The two
women were later found at another Mill Creek house. They were taken to
nearby hospitals. Subsequently, both women were transferred to the burn center.

Hicks was listed in critical condition immediately upon her arrival to the
intensive care unit. Hospital officials said Hughes had sustained
second-degree burns on 10 percent of her body. She was listed in serious
condition and was not a ICU patient.

State Fire Marshal John Haney assisted in the investigation of the lab that
claimed Hicks' life. Smith said Haney's probe validated information
authorities already had secured concerning the illicit lab.

"The fire marshal identified the ignition source as a hot plate that had
been sitting in the kitchen. That confirms information we had obtained from
witnesses that they had a jar sitting on the hot plate which cracked and
became a rolling fireball," Smith said.