A woman was caught on camera at a vacant business after investigators say she entered the property on September 30 and allegedly made off with copper. A second person believed to be involved in the theft never showed up clearly on camera at all, according to police.
Police say the woman entered the vacant business and allegedly took copper from the property, according to KFOR. Investigators believe a second subject was also involved in the theft but managed to avoid the cameras, police officials say.
A Growing Problem Across Oklahoma
The Midwest City case lands amid what appears to be a broader wave of copper theft activity around the state. Oklahoma ranks sixth nationally for copper thefts and had already logged 300 reported thefts in 2026 alone, according to a Hoodline report citing News 9. That same report detailed a recent enforcement sweep involving Oklahoma City police and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry that recovered roughly 2,400 pounds of stolen copper wire from recycling centers around the metro, while a similar operation in Tulsa recovered about 300 pounds of stolen telecommunications wire.
In a separate Oklahoma County case detailed in that same report, a deputy arriving at a home found a suspect allegedly trying to pull copper from the property, who then fled through a closed glass window. There is no indication that case is connected to the Midwest City investigation, but it underscores how frequently these thefts are turning up across the metro this year.
What Investigators Still Don't Know
For now, the woman seen on camera at the vacant business remains unidentified, and the second person police believe was involved has not been captured on surveillance footage at all.
