Tulsa Police Use Fair To Help Track Missing People

Cold cases are getting help from an unlikely place, the Tulsa State Fair. Currently 353 people are missing in the state of Oklahoma, and the initiative is in hopes of reducing that number.

It's the third year in a row police have set up a part of their visitor booth at the fair dedicated to getting names and faces - that have been missing for years - out into the public.

But the most unique thing they're doing is actually taking DNA samples to put into a database.

As people walk the inside of the River Spirit Event Center at the Tulsa state fair - enjoying food, fun and games - there's a booth you wouldn't expect. It's dedicated to getting DNA samples from family of those who are lost but not forgotten.

Detective Margaret Loveall said now people come out to the fair looking for the exhibit - and looking for help from the police to find their loved ones.

10/3/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police To Answer Missing Persons, Homicide Questions At Fair Saturday

"I want people to know that if you have a family member that you believe is missing, we're here to help you, if you'll come to us with the information," Loveall said.

The process is fairly easy, they take Qtips, swab the inside of your mouth, put them in an envelope and send them off to North Texas.

"Many of these people come from other parts of the state to come to the fair, and this may be the only time they come to Tulsa during the year, so we feel like it's a good opportunity to have contact with people that we don't normally have contact with to get information about unsolved cases," said Detective Margaret Loveall, Tulsa Police.

Dozens of faces flash on a screen at the back of the booth - faces that haven't been seen in years. Names from all across Oklahoma are listed out on a wall, a long with dates of when they were last seen.

And the mission to find them has become personal for many of those in law enforcement.

"And everyone at some point - you become involved with your victims' families because you see the impact that that missing person has on the rest of their family," Loveall said.

"They have children, they have parents they have siblings that sometimes for decades that go wondering what happened to their loved one."

If you have a loved one that's missing - no matter how old the case - police recommend visiting the NAMUS.gov website in order to get more information about that person out to the public. And if you can't make it out to the fair, Tulsa police urge families to contact them if you need help with your case or want to submit DNA.