A bill to help solve missing persons cases is one step away from becoming law in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma House and Senate approved House Bill 2640, which would require law enforcement, medical examiners, and coroners to enter all missing and unidentified persons’ information into a national database.
Senator Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) says the measure—known as Francine’s Law—will help solve cold cases.
“This arose out of the very tragic story of Francine Frost, who disappeared from a Tulsa grocery store in 1981. Her case went cold. In 1983, human remains and clothing were found in rural Muskogee County, but deputies were never able to identify the body.”
Daniels says under Francine’s Law all information will be entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which provides free forensic services.
The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, the Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office assisted with the language in the bill.
If signed by Governor Stitt, it would take effect November 1, 2019.
