TULSA, Okla. — The search to find more victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre led to the discovery of 17 additional unmarked graves.
Efforts to find the unmarked graves began once again last Wednesday at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Kary Stackelbeck, State Archeologist for the state of Oklahoma, says they expanded their excavation search at the cemetery. In the process of searching, scientists found 17 adult burials, with 16 being fully exposed and one partially exposed grave.
Stackelbeck says now the team is working to determine which of the 12 graves will be exhumed in their investigations.
From there, the remains will be taken to a lab for further testing and cross-examining previous news and records of Race Massacre victims believed to be buried at Oaklawn.
“We’re trying to do every step of this process as respectfully as possible,” says Stackelbeck in a video update from Facebook.
This marks the second successful excavation into looking into unmarked graves. After the first excavation last summer, scientists uncovered 19 bodies that are currently still being investigated to determine their identities.
The resumed dig is expected to be completed later this month on Nov. 18.
To keep up with the latest updates in the excavation process, follow the 1921 Graves’ Facebook page.
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