Pastor found slain in Oklahoma church

ANADARKO, Okla. — A pastor who came alone to a small church in southwest Oklahoma every Sunday in hope that someone would join her to pray was found slain inside the weathered building, police said Monday, but who would want to kill her was a mystery.

Police found 61-year-old Carol Daniels of Oklahoma City dead about noon Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko, housed in an A-frame building just a block from the police station in the town of about 6,600 people.

Trauma to Daniels' body indicated foul play, said Jessica Brown, a spokesman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.Brown would not disclose details, including how, when or where Daniels died.

Daniels was found after police were asked to check on her, said Brown, who declined to say who requested that police do so. Police in Anadarko, about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, referred all questions about the case to the state police agency.

While the church did not have a regular congregation, Brown said, Daniels was there every Sunday in case people came in to pray or hear a sermon.

"From the little bit I know about her, she was very dedicated to her calling," Brown said.

Brown said detectives were seeking to talk to people who live near the church and do more extensive interviews with family and friends.