Sisters Abducted As Children Now Working To Prevent Future Tragedies

Two sisters are teaming up with lawmakers on a bill pushing for faster law enforcement response when a child is abducted.

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These two women, who were both abducted as children, said this bill hits close to home.

"With everything that we've been through all we have left is our humanity," Jessica Patterson said. "These kids deserve that too, from all the politicians."

The two women said they want to make sure Oklahoma children have a better chance of being recovered before crossing state lines.

"These are minutes, seconds, not even hours," Cori Patterson said. "It takes seconds. Something can happen from the moment that child is taken within seconds that will traumatize them for the rest of their life."

Sen. Roger Thompson (R), the author of the bill, said it will deploy resources and encourage law enforcement to work in tandem when a child is abducted.

This is the third year Thompson has attempted to pass a bill on this issue, but he says Cori and Jessica Patterson have been instrumental this time around.

The Pattersons said they want Oklahomans to use their voices to make change.

"It's very important because if they don't hear our voice, then how will they know?" Jessica Patterson said. "Let's think about the kids and do what's best for the kids."

This bill passed through the Oklahoma Senate and both House committees, but the Oklahoma House of Representatives removed the bill's funding, so it'll now go through the House floor and then back to the Senate a second time before making its way to the governor’s desk.

To help those recovered children after the fact, the sisters say aftercare through counseling will also be readily available.