Tulsa WWII veteran laid to rest 77 years after disappearing in Arkansas River

A World War II veteran who worked for the City of Tulsa was finally laid to rest Monday after his remains went unidentified for nearly 80 years.

Floyd Harper, 22, was one of several City of Tulsa workers killed when a city barge overturned on the Arkansas River on Feb. 10, 1949. His remains were not identified at the time, and his family spent decades without answers.

His daughter, Linda Schrader, never got the chance to know him. She was two months old when he died.

“He died in the Arkansas River when I was exactly two months old,” Schrader said. “So I knew absolutely nothing about any of this wonderful stuff.”

Harper’s wife and family were left guessing what happened to him. According to Schrader, her mother never stopped looking.

“They said that she used to walk the banks of the Arkansas River for years, trying to find something of him where he died,” Schrader said.

Eventually, Schrader’s mother remarried, and the family began to accept they’d never get a chance to say goodbye. That changed last summer.

Tulsa Police Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins looked into human remains the department had discovered along the river in 1985. Using genealogy research, he tracked down Schrader, who now lives in Boise, Idaho. He flew out himself to administer a DNA test.

It was a match.

“We wanted to know who those human remains belong to. That’s important,” Watkins said. “Families deserve to have this moment.”

For Schrader, the confirmation set off a whirlwind. She discovered she had 29 first cousins she never knew, and attended a family reunion.

“I was just blown away with finding out I had 29 first cousins. And all of this going on. It’s just — it’s been insane,” she said.

For Watkins, solving the case stands as a career milestone.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things I think I’ve done in my career, is be part of this,” he said. “And I’m real happy for his family.”

Monday, after a gun salute and 77 years of wondering, Harper was finally laid to rest alongside other family members. Schrader said she’s grateful she can spend the rest of her life knowing how her father’s story ends.

“I’m just so happy he gets to be with his momma now,” she said.

Timeline: Floyd Harper’s 77-year journey home

Feb. 10, 1949 — Floyd Harper, a WWII veteran and City of Tulsa worker, dies when a city barge overturns on the Arkansas River. He is 22 years old. His daughter Linda is two months old.

1949–1985 — Harper’s family, including his wife, searches for answers. His remains are never found. Linda’s mother remarries; the family moves.

1985 — Human remains are discovered along the Arkansas River. Tulsa Police preserve them but are unable to make an identification at the time.

Summer 2025 — TPD Homicide Detective Brandon Watkins reopens the case, conducts genealogy research, and locates Linda Schrader in Idaho. He flies out personally to collect a DNA sample.

Mid-2025 — DNA results confirm the remains belong to Floyd Harper.

April 27, 2026 — Floyd Harper is laid to rest alongside family members in Skiatook, 77 years after his death. An honor guard renders a gun salute.