In a significant development, the first person has been identified from the century-old mass grave of victims in the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Tulsa's mayor, G.T. Bynum, announced on Friday that the individual is C.L. Daniel, a Black World War I veteran. Forensic investigators determined that Daniel, who served in the U.S. Army, was likely no older than 25 when he died during the deadly riot.

The city of Tulsa initiated an investigation into 120 unmarked graves in 2021, focusing on those buried during the devastating race massacre in the Greenwood District, famously known as "Black Wall Street." C.L. Daniel was born in Newman, Georgia, to Thomas Daniel and Amanda Merriweather Daniel. By 1910, Daniel's mother was widowed and had to provide for her seven sons.

During the war, Daniel was stationed at Camp Gordon in Chamblee, Georgia, and served for nine months and 16 days before receiving an honorable discharge. He spent some time in a base hospital, possibly due to a leg injury. In February 1921, Daniel requested veteran benefits and wrote about his ongoing struggles with injuries. He passed through Tulsa in May of that same year and intended to visit his mother in Georgia.

The cause of C.L. Daniel's death remains unknown. However, Intermountain Forensics confirmed the identity of the remains unearthed in 2021 at Oaklawn Cemetery as Daniel's. The connection was established through DNA samples obtained from next of kin and a letter written by his family attorney seeking veteran benefits on his mother's behalf.

The identification process involved the collaboration of multiple research teams, including the DNA Doe Project, Moxxy Forensics, Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, and Identifiers International. Alison Wilde, director of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, acknowledged that the DNA match was made possible by "family history hobbyists" who had shared their DNA test results and family trees on platforms like GEDmatch. By examining these hobbyists' data, the researchers were able to narrow down the search to a set of brothers, eventually finding the crucial letter from Daniel's mother in the National Archives.

Phoebe Stubblefield, an anthropologist at the University of Florida involved in Daniel's identification, noted that his body was not well preserved, with only fragments of his remains remaining. However, the skeletal evidence allowed the team to determine that he was a young man, potentially being under 25 years old at the time of his death.

The identity of Daniel's next of kin has not been disclosed at this time. Mayor Bynum expressed deep emotion about the identification, emphasizing the importance of providing a proper burial for the family after over a century of uncertainty. With 17 more individuals yet to be identified in the cemetery, Bynum highlighted the need to continue the investigation and bring closure to their families.

As this significant discovery sheds light on the tragic events of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the identification of C.L. Daniel marks a crucial step towards honoring the victims and their families, ensuring that their stories are remembered and acknowledged.