YOU THEN. THANK YOU. AND AT OUR STATE CAPITOL, OKLAHOMA'S CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER DROPPING A BOMBSHELL COMMENT DURING A ROUTINE BUDGET HEARING. NEWS FOUR'S ASHLEY MOSS JOINS US NOW AND PACKING THAT COMMENTS AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR US TONIGHT. ASHLEY WELCH, CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER ERIC PFEIFFER SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO SHALLOW GRAVES AND HUMAN REMAINS DURING THAT MEETING WAS MOSTLY ABOUT MONEY. WE CONSULTED A MEDICAL EXPERT WHO SAYS THE COMMENT WAS STARTLING BUT MAY POINT TO A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM IN THIS STATE. >> MISSING PERSON CASES. >> JUST USE PLAIN ENGLISH AND SAY THAT OKLAHOMA IS FULL OF SHALLOW GRAVES AND CLANDESTINE BURN PITS FULL HUMAN REMAINS ARE ARE INTO POLITICS. CANNOT KEEP UP IN THAT SAME OKLAHOMA'S CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER SAID AGENCY HANDLED THE BODIES OF ABOUT 8200 PEOPLE JUST IN 2023.
>> BUT IT IS SEE A BACKLOG CASES AND DELAYED REPORTS. IT NEEDS MORE MONEY AND MORE PEOPLE TO WORK EFFECTIVELY THAT STRADDLES BOTH A CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. I'M SORT OF WORK CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH OF THOSE MISSIONS TAKEN ABACK BY THAT COMMENT. >> I THINK THERE'S TRUTH IN TO WHAT HE'S SAYING. AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF HUMAN REMAINS HERE IN OKLAHOMA.
DOCTOR GEORGE MONKS AS WELL, SEEMINGLY CRASS. THAT COMMENT HINTS AT A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM IN THE STATE. THE NUMBER OF MISSING PERSONS CASES. UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF THE MISSING PERSONS THEY'RE MISSING BECAUSE OF FOUL PLAY AND THAT COULD BE KIDNAPPING. IT CAN BE MURDER. AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE TO HAVE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO HELP SOLVE THESE CRIMES. OKLAHOMA RANKS NUMBER 2 IN THE COUNTRY FOR OPEN MISSING CASE IS BASED ON DATA COMPILED BY THE NATIONAL MISSING AND UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS SYSTEM NAMUS FOR SHORT. >> BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS. THE CHIEF SAYS BY SUMMER HIS OFFICE COULD FINALLY BE FULLY STAFFED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY SINCE THE LAST 20 YEARS.
>> WE'VE WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH TOXIC TO THE CASELOAD AS PRESCRIBED BY STANDARDS. >> AND JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS SHOW AT LEAST 700 OPEN MISSING CASES IN OKLAHOMA RIGHT NOW IN THAT HEARING, CHIEF .