Panel wants to extend search for 1921 Tulsa race massacre victims

Scott Hammerstedt with the Oklahoma Archealogical Survey and Angela Berg of the State Medical Examiner's Office use ground-penetrating equipment to search Oaklawn Cemetery for possible mass graves from Tulsa's 1921 race riots. (The Tulsa World photo by Mike Simons)

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A committee overseeing a project to find the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre says more areas should be investigated.

The Oklahoma Archaeological Survey used ground-penetrating radar to search north Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery on Monday. It also plans to search another cemetery and a park for the victims of the violence that left as many as 300 dead on Tulsa’s Black Wall Street.

Oversight committee member and state Rep. Regina Goodwin says searchers should also look under U.S. Highway 75, adjacent to the cemetery, where she believes bodies may have been buried.

Officials say Monday’s search was largely inconclusive because nearby cameras and cellphones interfered with scanning equipment. Bystanders are asked to stay at least 300 feet away. The area will be searched again.

View of a map showing the areas that area being surveyed at Oaklawn Cemetery (in red).