Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-1161.1
This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-1161.1, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 21, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 21,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Desecration of a human corpse - Penalty - Prosecution
Official statutory text
with other offenses - Definition.
A. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and willfully
desecrate a human corpse for any purpose of:
1. Tampering with the evidence of a crime;
2. Camouflaging the death of human being;
3. Disposing of a dead body;
Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 510
4. Impeding or prohibiting the detection, investigation or
prosecution of a crime;
5. Altering, inhibiting or concealing the identification of a
dead body, a crime victim, or a criminal offender; or
6. Disrupting, prohibiting or interfering with any law
enforcement agency or the Office of the State Medical Examiner in
detecting, investigating, examining, determining, identifying or
processing a dead body, cause of death, the scene where a dead body
is found, or any forensic examination or investigation relating to a
dead body or a crime.
B. Upon conviction, the violator of any provision of this
section shall be guilty of a Class B4 felony offense punishable by
imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a
term not more than seven (7) years, by a fine not exceeding Eight
Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.
C. This offense may be prosecuted in addition to any
prosecution pursuant to Section 1161 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma
Statutes for removal of a dead body or any other criminal offense.
D. For purposes of this section, “desecration of a human
corpse” means any act committed after the death of a human being
including, but not limited to, dismemberment, disfigurement,
mutilation, burning, or any act committed to cause the dead body to
be devoured, scattered or dissipated; except, those procedures
performed by a state agency or licensed authority in due course of
its duties and responsibilities for forensic examination, gathering
or removing crime scene evidence, presentation or preservation of
evidence, dead body identification, cause of death, autopsy,
cremation or burial, organ donation, use of a cadaver for medical
educational purposes, or other necessary procedures to identify,
remove or dispose of a dead body by the proper authority.
A. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and willfully
desecrate a human corpse for any purpose of:
1. Tampering with the evidence of a crime;
2. Camouflaging the death of human being;
3. Disposing of a dead body;
Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments Page 510
4. Impeding or prohibiting the detection, investigation or
prosecution of a crime;
5. Altering, inhibiting or concealing the identification of a
dead body, a crime victim, or a criminal offender; or
6. Disrupting, prohibiting or interfering with any law
enforcement agency or the Office of the State Medical Examiner in
detecting, investigating, examining, determining, identifying or
processing a dead body, cause of death, the scene where a dead body
is found, or any forensic examination or investigation relating to a
dead body or a crime.
B. Upon conviction, the violator of any provision of this
section shall be guilty of a Class B4 felony offense punishable by
imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a
term not more than seven (7) years, by a fine not exceeding Eight
Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.
C. This offense may be prosecuted in addition to any
prosecution pursuant to Section 1161 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma
Statutes for removal of a dead body or any other criminal offense.
D. For purposes of this section, “desecration of a human
corpse” means any act committed after the death of a human being
including, but not limited to, dismemberment, disfigurement,
mutilation, burning, or any act committed to cause the dead body to
be devoured, scattered or dissipated; except, those procedures
performed by a state agency or licensed authority in due course of
its duties and responsibilities for forensic examination, gathering
or removing crime scene evidence, presentation or preservation of
evidence, dead body identification, cause of death, autopsy,
cremation or burial, organ donation, use of a cadaver for medical
educational purposes, or other necessary procedures to identify,
remove or dispose of a dead body by the proper authority.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Oklahoma?
Find a Oklahoma lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.