OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma is part of a push among states to enact laws that come down hard on people engaging in human trafficking.

The movement in Oklahoma began after the 2011 discovery of a 19-year-old woman who'd been butchered and her body left inside a duffel bag in Bethany.

Investigators said the killing of Carina Saunders was meant as a warning to other victims of human trafficking in the area.

Advocates, legislators and other officials in Oklahoma and elsewhere say it has taken the past decade for authorities to comprehend the scope of the problem.

Oklahoma State Representative Pam Peterson says people at various levels of government are learning about how human trafficking is conducted. Peterson sponsored a bill designed to aid investigations by the state's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

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