Rape Kits Stacked for Decades: Oklahoma Unlocks Answers with DNA

A Journey of Survival and Justice

Linda Terrell had just graduated with a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1985 when her life changed forever. That year, a stranger entered her rental home through a window and sexually assaulted her. "I don't think you're ever at the other side," Terrell said, now decades later. "Life is always before and after. Even though this happened so long ago for me, it's a part of who I am."

Like many rape survivors, Terrell spent years living in fear, with no answers and no justice. The lack of evidence made it impossible to identify the perpetrator, and she spent 28 years looking over her shoulder. "It took away my freedom, my ability to be who I was," she said.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) has been working to bring those offenders to justice. Their efforts are becoming a reality across the state, as they tackle a significant backlog of untested sexual assault kits.

Addressing the Backlog

In 2017, there were 7,270 untested sexual assault kits in law enforcement agencies across Oklahoma. These kits sat on shelves, leaving survivors to continue their lives waiting for a call that may never come. "I was scared in my home. I was scared outside of my home, and my life changed as a result of that," Terrell said.

To address the backlog, former Gov. Mary Fallin created the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Task Force, which is now a state board. Terrell is now the co-chair of that board. "One of the main responsibilities of the SAFE board is to ensure that the backlog of rape kits that have not been tested in the state of Oklahoma, which is a national issue, are taken care of in a way that is responsible and effective," she said.

There are three labs in the state that test these kits: the Oklahoma City and Tulsa police departments each have their own, while testing kits from the remaining parts of the state falls on the OSBI. "We have had several cases that would not have been prosecuted, an arrest would not have been made, without this program," Lt. Jenny Virden with OSBI's sexual assault unit said.

Thanks to grants, those three labs have made significant progress in testing. As of July 1, analysis had been completed on 2,682 of the 3,291 cases in OSBI's inventory.

The Power of DNA Testing

For survivors, OSBI officials said closure doesn't exist. But answers do. Testing even one of those thousands of kits could be the key to solving a string of sexual assaults across the state and the nation. "Most rapists are serial rapists, and that's what these kits are so important to get tested are showing, you know, that people think, ‘Oh, it's one time,’ but it's not one time," Terrell said. "Just getting one perpetrator off the streets could mean hundreds of victims are saved."

Once a kit is tested, DNA is submitted into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. OSBI testing has led to 891 DNA profiles being entered into the system, resulting in 439 hits. That DNA evidence has helped OSBI solve cases from as far back as the 1970s.

Terrell experienced what it was like having her case solved decades later thanks to DNA. But with answers came something else. "I am a survivor of a sexual assault that happened in the '80s, and the rapist was caught 28 years later, not as a result of this rape kit testing, but because he was caught in another state and his DNA popped up," Terrell said.

The Escalation of Crime

The man who raped Terrell was connected to dozens of sexual assaults across the country. His crimes escalated with every day he spent free. "I was the first person that he used a weapon with. That was a razor blade. But he progressed. He progressed, and that's typical for rapists is to progress," Terrell said.

When a rapist is incarcerated at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, OSBI officials said the offender's DNA is entered into CODIS. But without a conviction or if someone avoids prison with a plea deal, that DNA often never makes it into the database. "Rapes are already underreported, and then you're talking about incarcerations that are so incredibly rare," Terrell said.

New Laws and Continued Efforts

In 2024, Oklahoma lawmakers passed a bill that eliminated the statute of limitations for rape if there is DNA evidence in the case. But DNA isn't the only factor when it comes to solving rape cases. The important investigative work begins the second the victim dials 911.

"The patrol officers are going to be the first line of connection to law enforcement," Terrell said. "Their response today means 50 years later, that sexual assault survivor has either healing or not."

OSBI agents travel across the state to train local police officers on how to respond to sexual assaults, making sure that victims are at the forefront. "So that they understand that if a survivor is acting in a way that may feel or seem strange to them that perhaps that person is just dealing with the trauma the way they need to," Terrell said.

The Importance of Support

New laws in Oklahoma have also given rape survivors more access to information about the progress of their sexual assault kits. "It has to be turned into the OSBI within 20 days now," Virden said. "We do have a tracking system now that they put the serial number in and we can keep up with those kits as far as where they're at and how long they've had them."

The work can't end there. The grants that made testing these rape kits possible will run out in the coming years. OSBI said it will be up to state or federal leaders to make sure funding remains.

"My hope is that we go on and we continue to work these cases, and we make sure that we don't ever have a backlog again," Virden said.

Changing the Culture

Linda said the most effective way to change the culture of sexual assault response in Oklahoma is to believe victims and to simply talk about it. "I think we have a ways to go. I think it's important for us to handle this topic with dignity and educate people about it but not shy away from talking about it, because it happens way too often," Terrell said.

The Oklahoma City and Tulsa police departments have also made significant progress in testing, which has resulted in about 300 CODIS hits.

Anyone who has experienced a sexual assault can find help at the 24-Hour SafeLine at 1-800-522-SAFE (7233).