Desperate For Answers About Two Missing Women

Tulsa's homicide unit receives around 500 missing person reports every year. By far, Tulsa Police solve most of them, but in the past four years, 60 remain unsolved. News on 6 crime reporter Lori

Wednesday, January 17th 2007, 11:23 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa's homicide unit receives around 500 missing person reports every year. By far, Tulsa Police solve most of them, but in the past four years, 60 remain unsolved. News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright says that leaves families in a terrible state of limbo, not knowing where their loved one is or if they're even alive.

Tina Pitts' family braved the cold and ice to hand out flyers of her at a Tulsa intersection. Tina disappeared in the first of November last year and her family can't bear starting a new year with no answers. Tinaâ€™s daughter Courtney: "we just want to know, we want closure in our life."

The family does not believe Tina disappeared on their own and they're giving up hope that she's alive. They say she would never have missed Christmas or birthdays willingly. Courtney: "It's hard and frustrating because it's my mama and I only have one mom and to know she's not going to be with us, everyday, it gets harder. We don't know nothing. We want her to come home."

Another family wants the same thing, but they've been waiting more than 4 years. Tricia Fipps disappeared November 20th, 2002. Triciaâ€™s mother Sheila Owen: "I wish someone, even if they didn't want to tell who did it, if you know where my daughter's body is, I'd like to have it for us."

Tricia told her mom her boyfriend was going to bring her home from work, he told police he dropped her off, but no one ever saw her again. Now, her mom, brother and sister wonder, each time they hear of remains being found. Sheila: "I call everytime, when a skull is found in North Tulsa, I was on the phone the same day."

North Texas University has a missing persons project and gets DNA of missing persons from agencies all over the country and puts it into the national database, for free. DNA of remains and unidentified bodies are also entered, which they hope will lead to matches and finally, some desperately needed answers.

Tulsa's homicide unit is in one of the agencies working with North Texas University.

If anyone has information about either of these missing person cases or any others, call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.