TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa is starting the fifth round of excavations at Oaklawn Cemetery in hopes of uncovering and identifying more victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
In 2018, former Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum requested an investigation into possible mass graves related to the Massacre. Since excavations began, archaeologists discovered several remains, with teams positively identifying three through DNA analysis and assistance from descendants.
The first set of remains identified belonged to C.L. Daniel. He was a WWI veteran from Newnan, Georgia, and was in Tulsa during the massacre.
2 News Anchor Naomi Keitt exclusively sat down with Daniel's family in November of 2024.
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Another set of remains was identified and confirmed to be from the massacre through this process.
In June, city leaders identified James Goings as a race massacre victim. At that time, they also confirmed the identity of the remains belonging to George Melvin Gillispie.
City leaders shared a photo of Gillispie, who is said to have died sometime between 1920 and 1924. Researchers are working to confirm if he too was a victim of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
In June, Mayor Monroe Nichols proclaimed June 1 as the Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day. The Tulsa City Council allocated $1 million to continue excavations, DNA analysis, and identification tests.
The City of Tulsa exhumed several more remains and hopes descendants will come forward to compare DNA to help make more identifications.
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City leaders are hosting a news conference on Oct. 14 ahead of the fifth round of excavations. As the process continues, the Oaklawn Cemetery is going to be closed for several weeks.
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