Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Loses Volunteer To COVID-19, Results In Her Death

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office lost one of its beloved Cold Case Task Force volunteers to COVID-19.

Deputies said they are hoping Joanne Emmons’ death puts a face and a name to the reality of COVID-19. They are hoping people are able to honor her life, by doing what they can to stay healthy.

"Her husband Jerry was a retired FBI agent and a member of the task force; he brought a lot of skill to the table and Joanne would come with him. She would organize everything, make sure everything was on track so that these retired investigators could focus on the business of trying to solve our cold cases," said TCSO’s Casey Roebuck.

The Task Force, is for the most part, made up of retired law enforcement members. They work on unsolved murder cases, trying to come up with new leads and they do it all for free.

This week, they lost of their members, Joanne Emmons, from COVID-19.

"She is kind, funny, dedicated to her family and her community and everybody on the Task Force just adored Joanne. So, this has just been devastating for them," said Roebuck.

Members of the Cold Case Task Force have been working from home for more than a month now, trying to get answers for families who have been waiting for justice for years.

The Sheriff's Office said they hope people who aren't already doing what they can to stop the spread of the virus, will start now.

"I hope that maybe something good comes out of her death and people pay close attention and realize what is at stake here and they do their part to stop the spread," said Roebuck.