'Francine's Law' approved by the Senate during National Crime Victims' Rights Week

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — The Senate has approved a bill aimed at helping law enforcement and families find answers in missing and unidentified persons cases.

House Bill 2640, 'Francine's Law', authored byJulie Daniels, R-Bartlesville,Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, and House principal author, Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, was approved unanimously on Monday.

“The bill is named for Francine Frost, of Tulsa. Her family never quit looking for her after she went missing in 1981. More than three and a half decades later, remains that had been discovered two years after she was abducted were finally identified as hers, thanks to the determination of Francine’s family and the NamUs database,” Daniels said. “If this measure had been the law years ago, her case could have been solved sooner. I want to thank the Frost family for their strength and perseverance in helping bring this legislation forward.”

According to Daniels, the bill would require law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners to enter all missing and unidentified persons information into NamUs.

NamUs provides free forensic services, including forensic odontology, fingerprint examination, forensic anthropology, and DNA analyses through the UNT Center for Human Identification.

The families of missing persons are provided with DNA kits at no cost to help with the case.

The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, the Medical Examiner's Office, and CLEET, the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, collaborated with Daniels and others on the language of the bill.

The Frost family was in attendance while Francine's Law was approved.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling. We are extremely grateful and appreciative to the Oklahoma State Legislature, to Representative Rhonda Baker, Senator Julie Daniels, all the coauthors of this bill, that they have understood and seen the importance to a missing persons family, the impact this bill will have,” said Vicki Frost Curl, Francine’s daughter.

The bill now goes to Governor Stitt's desk for his signature.

“It was an honor to author this legislation on behalf of Francine Frost’s family,” Baker said. “It is my desire to save other families the agony of waiting years to know the fate of their loved one. I believe this law will help.”