Medical examiner confirms missing Tulsa toddlers were found dead

TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma’s medical examiner identified the bodies of two children found dead in local waterways this week as Miracle and Tony Crook, the two toddlers police had been searching for since May 22.

Miracle Crook, 3, was found late Tuesday in the Verdigris River in Wagoner County, and Tony Crook, 2, was found in Bird Creek, north Tulsa, on Wednesday.

Tulsa police and the Tulsa County district attorney held a news conference Friday to go over the case and talk about what comes next:

Wagoner County authorities said an off-duty deputy who was fishing with his family off Highway 69 in the Porter area saw the girl’s body and reported it about 9 p.m. Tuesday, KOKI reported. Emergency teams from Wagoner and Muskogee counties then searched the river and found the body.

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The children were last seen by their mother Donisha Willis on Friday in the area of 2200 S 96th E Ave, police said.

Willis was later arrested and charged with child endangerment.

In a press conference Tuesday, police officials said they had new video footage of the two children holding hands, playing alone near an embankment on the west side of the Shoreline apartment complex and never reappearing.

Police believe the children found a gap in the fence on the property. The fence led to steps that led into the Mingo Valley Creek.

Members of the Tulsa community are now asking for the city of Tulsa to place a fence near the creek where the two children were last seen on surveillance footage.

The city released this statement on the fencing:

“This fence was built in the 1980s by the Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Tulsa is responsible for the upkeep of the fence after it was constructed by the Corps. At this time, there are no plans to close the emergency exits due to sudden, unexpected surges in the water level that can occur. As with any body of water, children should be accompanied by an adult as levels of water can surge at any time. Creeks, channels, ponds, inlets, streets, pipes, and other infrastructure are not safe for children or adults during storms. Please note, we have 15 miles of creek as part of this system and it is fenced in the areas where the approaches are steep – in this tragic case, there were fences up and stairs from the waterway to allow for a safe escape route in the event of a surge.”

Cox Media Group