Tulsa Police Drain Retention Pond In Search For Body Parts

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- The city of Tulsa is working with Tulsa Police to drain a retention pond near 6th and Mingo following Tuesday's discovery of a body part in the pond.

A woman walking her dog, found a shoe in the pond with the bones of a foot still inside.

Tulsa public works says it could take up to five days to drain. They brought in the equipment to drain the pond at about 8:30 Wednesday morning.

Four pumps are sucking out hundreds of gallons of water from the 18-foot deep retention pond.  Police say emptying the pond would be the most effective way to search the area for a possible body.

"We're looking for any additional remains or any evidence with for a possible homicide," said Tulsa Police Cpl. Joe Campbell.

Tuesday, a dog swimming in the pond retrieved a shoe with a foot inside.

"At first I just thought it was a shoe, so I was going to take it away from her and throw it back into the water and let her pull it out again because that's what we normally do," said the dog's owner Heather.

10/25/2011 Related Story: Dog Finds Human Foot In East Tulsa Retention Pond

Tulsa Police's dive team searched the murky water beginning Tuesday.

"They did not find anything. They had a couple of false positives. They thought they had found something but it turned up to be a stick of wood," Campbell said.

10/25/2011 Related Story: Dive Team Scours Tulsa Pond After Human Foot Found

Now, they wait.

"Working midnight to noon, noon to midnight, until the police department has the water down to a level that satisfies them," Young said.

Because the pond is stocked with fish, police have contacted the fish and wildlife department to help monitor the water as it is released into Mingo Creek. Guards will be posted at the pond 24 hours a day and they ask everyone to keep out.

Meanwhile, Tulsa Police are still asking if anyone has a possible name to a missing person who was wearing the sneaker; call Tulsa Police's homicide tipline at 918-798-8477.