The oklahoma office of the attorney general will utilize this funding to create a cold case unit within its office to help provide support for OAG-led prosecutions, as well as, prosecutions at the…

The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The funding will be used to create a Cold Case Unit within the Attorney General's Office to support investigations and prosecutions of violent crime cold cases across the state of Oklahoma. Key activities include conducting a comprehensive inventory of violent crime cold cases with established suspect DNA profiles, investigating and prosecuting these cases, and submitting unknown DNA samples for further genetic testing. Expected deliverables include an increase in the number of suspects identified through forensic genetic genealogy, successful prosecution of more violent crime cold cases, and entry of cases into national criminal justice databases. The award will partially fund one part-time agent, one full-time agent, and one full-time criminal intelligence analyst to staff the new Cold Case Unit.

The oklahoma office of the attorney general will utilize this funding to create a cold case unit within its office to help provide support for OAG-led prosecutions, as well as, prosecutions at the district court level. This project will serve the entire of state of oklahoma. This award will partially fund one part-time agent, one full-time agent, and one full-time criminal intelligence analyst. The new unit will fall under the criminal justice division, which also houses the multi-county grand jury unit and the organized crime task force. The oklahoma state bureau of investigation reports that - as of may 1, 2024 - there are 3,838 unmatched forensic DNA profiles within the combined DNA index system. This number includes investigations conducted by oklahoma state bureau of investigation agents, as well as local law enforcement agencies. Primary activities include creating a comprehensive inventory of all violent crime cold cases in which a suspects (either known or unknown) DNA profile has already been established; begin investigating violent cold case crimes to be prosecuted by the attorney generals office; testify in court in regard to prosecutions involving cold case files; and submitting suspect (either known or unknown) DNA for further genetic testing. Expected deliverables will be an increase in the number of suspects identified through the use of forensic genetic genealogy; an increase in successful prosecution of violent crime cold cases; and the entering of all applicable cases into both the violent criminal apprehension program and the national missing and unidentified persons system.