Kasey Alerts for missing adults begin in Oklahoma, named after Cherokee man who vanished

Molly Young, The Oklahoman
Updated ·3 min read
Kasey Russell was 29 when he went missing in June 2016. His remains were found six years later. Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a missing adult alert system named after him.
Kasey Russell was 29 when he went missing in June 2016. His remains were found six years later. Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a missing adult alert system named after him.

Oklahomans soon could start seeing a new type of public alert flash across phone screens and highway signs.

Kasey Alerts are meant to help police find adults who go missing under suspicious circumstances. The law that created the alerts takes effect Wednesday.

The notifications are named after Kasey Russell, a 29-year-old Tahlequah man and Cherokee Nation citizen who went missing in 2016. His mother struggled to find law enforcement agencies that would help her search for him. His remains were found last year in Seminole, near where he was last seen.

Supporters believe Kasey Alerts can provide essential clues in the hours after people go missing and ultimately save lives, especially in a state that faces high rates of domestic violence and the broader crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

More: Behind the push to create an alert system for missing adults in Oklahoma

Brenda Golden, one of the biggest champions of the new law, said investigators will be able to send Kasey Alerts using systems already in place for missing children and older adults. Kasey Alerts were meant to fill the age gap between the two notices, which are called Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts.

“It doesn’t add any real cost to the state to do or to perform,” said Golden, an Okmulgee attorney and Muscogee Nation citizen. “The cost-to-benefit ratio is really enormous, because when you save one life, how do you put a price on it?”

Golden and other advocates worked for years with lawmakers, including Republican Reps. Ken Luttrell and Daniel Pae, to rally enough support to pass the alerts into law. The Legislature overwhelmingly approved the Kasey Alert Act earlier this year, and Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill in May.

Kasey Alerts also help locate missing Native Americans in Oklahoma

Although the law applies to all missing adults who may be in danger, it requires investigators to release extra information about how to contact tribal authorities when Native Americans go missing. Luttrell believes the notices can help cut through questions over jurisdiction, which stalled the investigation into Russell’s disappearance and continue to delay the search for others.

“It fosters that cooperation between agencies that we’ve been looking for and has raised public awareness not only for Indigenous people and for missing and murdered Indigenous women, but for any adult that goes missing,” said Luttrell, a Cherokee Nation citizen. “Their families have faced the frustration of trying to get law enforcement involved or trying to get the right authorities to do the research and do something.”

More: The controversy behind 2 tribal gaming compacts being considered by Oklahoma lawmakers

Under the law, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety is responsible for rolling out the criteria for when Kasey Alerts will be sent and how investigators handle tips received in response to the alerts.

Sarah Stewart, a spokesperson for the department, said the notification system will go live immediately because officials already have been sending out alerts about missing endangered adults on a case by case basis, adding up to 10 times so far this year. The Kasey Alert Act codifies those alerts into law, she said.

Investigators will weigh every case to decide whether to send the alerts statewide or target them to specific areas, Stewart said.

Golden said it’s important for families to tell investigators about any suspicious circumstances surrounding their loved one’s disappearance, so law enforcement agencies know to send out an alert.

More: What to know about the new laws taking effect Nov. 1 in Oklahoma

Golden, Luttrell and other supporters plan to hold a ceremony 2 p.m. Wednesday at the state Capitol in honor of the Kasey Alert Act taking effect. Russell’s mother and sister plan to attend, as well as others whose relatives have gone missing.

Luttrell said he believes Kasey Alerts can set an example for other states, particularly as authorities grapple with the disproportionate killings and disappearances of Native people.

“We know it’s not just an Oklahoma problem. It’s nationwide.”

Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What is a Kasey Alert? Oklahoma program aimed to find missing adults