Tulsa To Renew Search For Race Massacre Victims This Summer

The City of Tulsa plans another excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery this summer, as the search continues for victims of the 1921 Race Massacre.

Researchers examining DNA retrieved from past exhumations say they’re making progress towards identifying remains from unmarked graves at Oaklawn, and have both identified new surnames connected to the remains and excluded others previously announced.

The research has also connected some of the names to locations and excluded others. Find Those Names Here

The researchers say they have already connected remains with living relatives, though the exact relationships are still being examined as they cross-reference DNA.

“The living DNA relative we're starting with is likely to have a great-grandparent or great-great grandparent that was a sibling or cousin to the burial, so it's that many generations removed,” said Alison Wilde, one of the lead researchers with Intermountain Forensics, the lab processing the DNA.

She said the work involves testing DNA both against samples submitted by the public and against two small publicly accessible databases, while larger and most popular databases prohibit such use. Wilde said that’s led to sometimes emotional contact with families who recognize they’re tied to possible race massacre victims. “They're already claiming that burial as their own. That's their kin and their family, and they're committed to helping us get to the bottom, or get to the identity” said Wilde.

She said about 70 people have contributed their DNA profile specifically for the project, while through the databases, researchers have contacted about 200 other people who share some DNA with samples recovered from Oaklawn.