Oklahoma May Soon See Alert System For Missing Adults

A new bill, if passed, would implement an alert system for missing adults in Oklahoma.

State House Bill 1077 will move to the Senate floor for a full vote. 

The Kasey Alert Act would apply to adults of all ages from 18-60 and allow police to release extra information for when Native American adults go missing.

The name behind the bill comes from when Kasey Russell, a Native American from Tahlequah, Okla., went missing in 2016 after authorities said Russell would pick up his mom from work, and one day he did not show up. 

Law enforcement never discovered how and why Russell went missing.

Authorities never discovered the motive behind how he ended up going missing. 

All notices in our state would be called Kasey Alerts. 

Oklahoma House Republican Daniel Pae said he has been working on the bill for three years.

“Kasey alert system would be modeled after an Amber or Silver Alert. If an adult goes missing, an alert would be issued out with information, including information to include Native American heritage, if it is relevant. We are working with the Department of Public Safety to get the language just right”, Pae said.

If the bill passes the Senate, the act would go into place in late spring.