TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is advocating for cold case victims and their families at the Tulsa State Fair.
2 News discovered the unique way they are working to generate new leads in decades-old cases.
The sheriff’s office is hoping the million-plus visitors at the fair this year will help solve the cold cases they displayed.
The booth is located on the upper west side of the SageNet center and has an entire wall dedicated to the county’s cold cases, along with some unsolved Tulsa Police Department cases.
Deputies are asking people to stop by and read about the victims and their stories.
Sarah Ledbetter’s sister, Lisa, is featured on the top right side.
Her body was discovered in a field on Lookout Mountain in September of 1984.
Investigators said she had been beaten, stabbed, and mutilated.
2 News featured Lisa in our Oklahoma Cold Case Files series:
Decades later, the Ledbetter family still has no answers about who killed Lisa or why.
“I just want to find out who did it. It’s been 40 years. You know, I just want it to be solved. I miss my sister dearly,” said Sarah Ledbetter.
The sheriff’s office said it currently has about 26 cold cases with roughly 30 volunteers working them from multiple agencies, including the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF.
Detective Sergeant, Christopher Garrison is part of the Tulsa County Cold Case Task Force and said the reason the department is putting so many resources towards solving its cold cases is simple.
“The biggest reason is the exposure, and you know we anticipate over a million people out here throughout the 11 days, and so it’s a great opportunity to get some exposure,” said Garrison.
He said cold cases are not dead cases and stresses how important it is to work towards closure for the families.
“I keep in touch with a handful of family members throughout the month. They call me a handful of times per month to get updates on their cases, so we stay pretty busy with them. I think it’s pretty important to keep the families involved,” said Garrison.
For Sarah Ledbetter, nothing will bring her sister Lisa home, but she does hold out hope that someone might come forward one day with information that could lead to an arrest.
If you have any information about Lisa Ledbetter’s death or any other Tulsa cold case, please contact the Tulsa County Cold Case Task Force at 918-596-5690.
For more coverage on Oklahoma's Cold Cases, click here.
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