I hope so! So many cases have great numbers, especially after the Gedmatch changes, I hope a few more identifications have been made after the changes!
DNA Doe Project - General Discussion
- Thread starter MelmothTheLost
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It says the update will be tomorrow. The person who updates the spreadsheet just got back to town.
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I'm assuming it's a typo, but Plainview Jane Doe's highest match is now "8", but at the same time, it still says she has 13 matches higher than 40 cM. St Tammany Parish John Doe has also had a small jump to 38.8.
A very interesting article about Wendy Stephens identification, also interesting insight into the history and process of Forensic genealogy. It is also mentioned that so far the DDP team has identified around 50 people.
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/ne...-thanks-to-improvements-in-forensic-genealogy
Family of Wendy Stephens finds closure 38 years later, thanks to improvements in forensic genealogy
DENVER — After nearly four decades, a Denver family finally has some answers about what happened to Wendy Stephens.
Stephens was just 14 years old when she disappeared in 1983 in Denver; the teen’s parents had filed a missing person’s report, but police were unable to track the teen down.
The teen’s body was found a year after her disappearance in Washington and was linked to the Green River killer, but investigators were unable to identify it.
Recent Stories from thedenverchannel.com
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For nearly 40 years, Stephens was known as Bones-10 and was placed in the storage of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Wendy was in my care from the time that I started in 1996,” said forensic anthropologist Dr. Kathy Taylor. “We had retained the remains in safekeeping hoping for that technology or something to come along.”
In the 1980’s, victims were identified using fingerprints, identifiable markings, dental records and more. DNA was an emerging technology at the time and was not well understood.
Taylor would reexamine the bones periodically over the years in an attempt to glean more information to identify them. In one examination, she was able to narrow the age range down and say definitively that the victim was a 12-to-15-year-old girl.
Over the decades, researchers began developing technology to sequence, understand and even use DNA to solve crimes.
“Back in the 1990’s and 2000s, sort of the infancy of DNA testing, law-enforcement was able to compare a one-to-one sample,” said Cairenn Binder, a forensic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project.
At first, researchers were only able to match DNA with the person it came from; the sequencing then evolved to allow researchers to match DNA with a person’s direct relative, such as a parent, child or sibling.
“Now, technology has increased to where we can look at third, fourth, or fifth cousins, and we can build family trees from those DNA matches,” Binder said.
Stephens was identified using forensic genealogy; the technique uses DNA and ancestry tracking to try to determine who the unidentified people are.
The DNA Doe project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that is made up of volunteers. The proceeds from donations go to cover the lab fees for running DNA tests on the remains. Many of the volunteers have a background in health, law enforcement or private investigations.
Binder is a nurse by day and started getting serious about genealogy when she helped her mother start looking into her family tree.
“I think a lot of people listen to true crime podcasts or they watch documentaries and things like that, but we actually get to help solve these cases and it’s a really exciting thing to do it,” Binder said.
So far, the DNA Doe Project has helped identify nearly 50 people through forensic genealogy and Binder says they are getting more efficient each year. The oldest set of remains the team has been able to identify were from the early 1900’s.
Binder sees a future when every law-enforcement agency employs a genetic genealogist to help solve cold cases.
The work is tedious; it requires hours about hours of research, constructing family trees, looking for areas where different trees align and then rebuilding them. The researchers get the ancestry DNA information from GEDMatch.
People upload their DNA profiles voluntarily to GEDMatch to try to find matches with other people around the world. They are able to find those matches and build more comprehensive family trees regardless of what company their distant relatives used.
Those who choose to upload their genetic profiles to the site can opt-in to a law-enforcement feature, which means the DNA could be used to identify John and Jane Doe’s, but also to match DNA with perpetrators.
People who do not opt-in to the law enforcement feature can be matched to John and Jane Doe’s but their DNA cannot be used to match with perpetrators.
In Wendy Stephens’ case, a combination of DNA matches with third and fourth cousins who helped the DNA Doe Project positively identify her.
“We didn’t really think we had the right person at first because the person was so young, 14,” said Binder.
The team turned over their findings to police, who were able to find a missing person’s report filed for Stephens back in 1983.
“It’s a sense of feeling accomplished that the work is done, but also feeling a little upset because you know that identification is going to be made and it’s not what that family wants to hear,” she said. “We’re here to give Wendy her name back, to restore her power, to restore her name and to make sure that her family has answers.”
Dave Reichert, who was the lead investigator on the Green River Task Force, says he wants the family to know that the team never stopped trying to solve the case.
Gary Ridgway eventually pled guilty to 49 murders but claimed to have killed many more women, leaving many of their bodies along the Green River in Washington state.
“The sad part is there were so many unidentified names that you had to put numbers to the bodies instead of names,” Reichert said. “It sounds very dehumanizing, but it’s the only way we can keep track.”
Ridgway even took investigators to several areas where he had dumped bodiesin an effort to try to locate them. In exchange for cooperating, he was sentenced to life in prison rather than the death penalty.
All these years later, Reichert still remembers the smallest details of each scene where remains were found and he still gets choked up when he talks about the case and all the lives that were lost.
“I think we all wonder what we could’ve done to solve the case earlier so that fewer people died,” he said.
He hopes Stephens’ family will find some peace in knowing what happened to their daughter and having the chance to give her a proper burial.
“People talk about closure and there’s never closure. The most you can expect, or that parents can expect, is some answers to questions they’ve had about what happened and why,” he said.
One of the problems with identifying Stephens’ remains was that, back in the 1980’s when a missing juvenile chronologically turned 18, they were dropped out of the FBI’s NCIC database.
Taylor says Stephens went missing when she was 13 and was dropped from the system when she turned 18, regardless of the fact that no one had seen her in years.
“I’ve been trying for almost 25 years and hoping and hoping and hoping to get this young lady ID'd,” she said. “From the moment that I got to stop referring to her as Bones-10 and refer to her as Wendy, that was a big moment for me.”
In an effort to solve more cold cases, Taylor encourages anyone who has reported someone missing during the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s, to follow up with law enforcement and make sure that those reports are still in the system.
Taylor still has two more sets of remains in her care of women who were killed by Ridgway that have never been identified, Bones-17 and Bones-20.
Both Taylor and the DNA Doe project are hoping to have similar luck in identifying them using genetic genealogy.
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/ne...-thanks-to-improvements-in-forensic-genealogy
Family of Wendy Stephens finds closure 38 years later, thanks to improvements in forensic genealogy
DENVER — After nearly four decades, a Denver family finally has some answers about what happened to Wendy Stephens.
Stephens was just 14 years old when she disappeared in 1983 in Denver; the teen’s parents had filed a missing person’s report, but police were unable to track the teen down.
The teen’s body was found a year after her disappearance in Washington and was linked to the Green River killer, but investigators were unable to identify it.
Recent Stories from thedenverchannel.com
Top Videos Watch More The Rebound: 6,900 construction jobs lost in 2020
For nearly 40 years, Stephens was known as Bones-10 and was placed in the storage of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Wendy was in my care from the time that I started in 1996,” said forensic anthropologist Dr. Kathy Taylor. “We had retained the remains in safekeeping hoping for that technology or something to come along.”
In the 1980’s, victims were identified using fingerprints, identifiable markings, dental records and more. DNA was an emerging technology at the time and was not well understood.
Taylor would reexamine the bones periodically over the years in an attempt to glean more information to identify them. In one examination, she was able to narrow the age range down and say definitively that the victim was a 12-to-15-year-old girl.
Over the decades, researchers began developing technology to sequence, understand and even use DNA to solve crimes.
“Back in the 1990’s and 2000s, sort of the infancy of DNA testing, law-enforcement was able to compare a one-to-one sample,” said Cairenn Binder, a forensic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project.
At first, researchers were only able to match DNA with the person it came from; the sequencing then evolved to allow researchers to match DNA with a person’s direct relative, such as a parent, child or sibling.
“Now, technology has increased to where we can look at third, fourth, or fifth cousins, and we can build family trees from those DNA matches,” Binder said.
Stephens was identified using forensic genealogy; the technique uses DNA and ancestry tracking to try to determine who the unidentified people are.
The DNA Doe project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that is made up of volunteers. The proceeds from donations go to cover the lab fees for running DNA tests on the remains. Many of the volunteers have a background in health, law enforcement or private investigations.
Binder is a nurse by day and started getting serious about genealogy when she helped her mother start looking into her family tree.
“I think a lot of people listen to true crime podcasts or they watch documentaries and things like that, but we actually get to help solve these cases and it’s a really exciting thing to do it,” Binder said.
So far, the DNA Doe Project has helped identify nearly 50 people through forensic genealogy and Binder says they are getting more efficient each year. The oldest set of remains the team has been able to identify were from the early 1900’s.
Binder sees a future when every law-enforcement agency employs a genetic genealogist to help solve cold cases.
The work is tedious; it requires hours about hours of research, constructing family trees, looking for areas where different trees align and then rebuilding them. The researchers get the ancestry DNA information from GEDMatch.
People upload their DNA profiles voluntarily to GEDMatch to try to find matches with other people around the world. They are able to find those matches and build more comprehensive family trees regardless of what company their distant relatives used.
Those who choose to upload their genetic profiles to the site can opt-in to a law-enforcement feature, which means the DNA could be used to identify John and Jane Doe’s, but also to match DNA with perpetrators.
People who do not opt-in to the law enforcement feature can be matched to John and Jane Doe’s but their DNA cannot be used to match with perpetrators.
In Wendy Stephens’ case, a combination of DNA matches with third and fourth cousins who helped the DNA Doe Project positively identify her.
“We didn’t really think we had the right person at first because the person was so young, 14,” said Binder.
The team turned over their findings to police, who were able to find a missing person’s report filed for Stephens back in 1983.
“It’s a sense of feeling accomplished that the work is done, but also feeling a little upset because you know that identification is going to be made and it’s not what that family wants to hear,” she said. “We’re here to give Wendy her name back, to restore her power, to restore her name and to make sure that her family has answers.”
Dave Reichert, who was the lead investigator on the Green River Task Force, says he wants the family to know that the team never stopped trying to solve the case.
Gary Ridgway eventually pled guilty to 49 murders but claimed to have killed many more women, leaving many of their bodies along the Green River in Washington state.
“The sad part is there were so many unidentified names that you had to put numbers to the bodies instead of names,” Reichert said. “It sounds very dehumanizing, but it’s the only way we can keep track.”
Ridgway even took investigators to several areas where he had dumped bodiesin an effort to try to locate them. In exchange for cooperating, he was sentenced to life in prison rather than the death penalty.
All these years later, Reichert still remembers the smallest details of each scene where remains were found and he still gets choked up when he talks about the case and all the lives that were lost.
“I think we all wonder what we could’ve done to solve the case earlier so that fewer people died,” he said.
He hopes Stephens’ family will find some peace in knowing what happened to their daughter and having the chance to give her a proper burial.
“People talk about closure and there’s never closure. The most you can expect, or that parents can expect, is some answers to questions they’ve had about what happened and why,” he said.
One of the problems with identifying Stephens’ remains was that, back in the 1980’s when a missing juvenile chronologically turned 18, they were dropped out of the FBI’s NCIC database.
Taylor says Stephens went missing when she was 13 and was dropped from the system when she turned 18, regardless of the fact that no one had seen her in years.
“I’ve been trying for almost 25 years and hoping and hoping and hoping to get this young lady ID'd,” she said. “From the moment that I got to stop referring to her as Bones-10 and refer to her as Wendy, that was a big moment for me.”
In an effort to solve more cold cases, Taylor encourages anyone who has reported someone missing during the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s, to follow up with law enforcement and make sure that those reports are still in the system.
Taylor still has two more sets of remains in her care of women who were killed by Ridgway that have never been identified, Bones-17 and Bones-20.
Both Taylor and the DNA Doe project are hoping to have similar luck in identifying them using genetic genealogy.
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I hope they take on the Bones 17 case.
Yes, it is mentioned in the article, it makes me think that the DDP is already working on it (may be it is on early stages):
Taylor still has two more sets of remains in her care of women who were killed by Ridgway that have never been identified, Bones-17 and Bones-20.
Both Taylor and the DNA Doe project are hoping to have similar luck in identifying them using genetic genealogy.
I think Bones 17 is like Brad, she'll probably appear in a future update.
Also hoping to see someone take Mary Anderson, another case from King County, Washington.
Neighboring Snohomish County has enthusiastically contacted the DDP and Othram to solve their backlog of UID cases.
Also hoping to see someone take Mary Anderson, another case from King County, Washington.
Neighboring Snohomish County has enthusiastically contacted the DDP and Othram to solve their backlog of UID cases.
Actually as you mentioned King County Washington, I checked the Namus page of Tukwila Jane Doe found in King County and the Namus page was changed from Female to Male...
Surprise transgender case? This Doe has an extremely good highest match so we could find out soon.
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It was just bones so it's possible that it could have just been a mistake while identifying the gender.
Yes, that's true but I believe the clothes they found with the bones were female.
New case from Wisconsin
St Croix Co Jane Doe 2002 (WI) NamUs #UP9106 at lab for extraction
WI - WI - Houlton, AsianFem 406UFWI, 35-60, wide-set eyes, Oct'02
St Croix Co Jane Doe 2002 (WI) NamUs #UP9106 at lab for extraction
WI - WI - Houlton, AsianFem 406UFWI, 35-60, wide-set eyes, Oct'02
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I'm glad they're picking up more cases again, they seemed to kinda slow down on that in the last quarter of the year.
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We love Snohomish County. Great investigators.
DNA Doe Project: Phoenix PD investigators use forensic genealogy to solve cold cases
Cairenn Binder a team leader for many cases as Apache Junction and Wendy Stephens case: "We have a lot of pending cases right now that we believe we have identified, but some of the labs have been understaffed or closed down during the pandemic of various times"
Reconstruction artist builds recognizable face for the unidentified
There is a special focus behind Stephen Missal’s process. It’s not just a sketch that he makes. Rather, it’s a facial reconstruction of someone Missal has never met.
Each feature, each mark - what makes them who they are - is a piece of the map to find their identity, and bring them home.
"I wanna capture a likeness that would be if a family member or an acquaintance saw, it would trigger the recognition," said Missal, a forensic reconstruction artist.
Missal draws faces of the unidentified for the Maricopa County medical examiner.
"Some of the images are quite frankly disturbing," said Missal. "I'm honoring them. I'm honoring their family and then, sometimes their end bothers me."
Police investigator tasked with solving cold case
The lead investigator on this case is Detective Stuart Somershoe with Phoenix Police.
"Every holiday, every birthday, every anniversary of the disappearance, not knowing," said Det. Somershoe.
Plastered across walls are questions that echo for dozens of families not knowing what happened to missing loved ones for years, sometimes decades.
"It damages families," said Det. Somershoe. "It destroys families."
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Arizona has the second-highest number of unidentified people in the United States.
"In Arizona, we have almost 2,000 unidentified bodies, and nationwide, it's estimated we have 40,000 unidentified bodies," said Det. Somershoe.
Det. Somershoe says the close proximity to the border is one factor, as people cross into the desert and die. The arid climate turns remains into skeletons quickly, leaving their identities unknown.
"The one thing you get when you're born is you get your name, that's the one thing you should be able to keep when you die, and these people were denied that," said Det. Somershoe. "They're just a John or a Jane Doe."
Organization steps in to help
The DNA Doe Project is a non-profit organization fueled by 60 genealogists volunteering to help law enforcement identify these John Does and Jane Does. It works by uploading the unidentified person's DNA profile is uploaded to two public databases.
DNA Doe Project uses Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch, thus casting a wide net, finding "matches" and narrowing down connections to John or Jane Doe, Pinpointing relatives based on shared DNA.
"They're mapping out a family tree in hopes of finding their Jane Doe," said Det. Somershoe.
This brings us to a drawing of a woman known to Det. Somershoe as "Broadway Street Jane Doe."
The woman is described as Hispanic, 40 to 50 years old, 5’4", with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was hit by a car in Phoenix and left to die near S. 15th Street and E. Broadway on Nov. 21, 2004. At the time, investigators found scribbling on her palm.
According to officials with the DNA Doe Project, the victim's DNA is traced back to Calvillo, a small town in Mexico’s Aguascalientes state, where her parents are believed to be from.
However, forensic genealogist Cairenn Binder says the Jane Doe could be found in multiple branches of a family tree.
"That's the hard part about solving her case, is not only does she have limited matches because she's born in a foreign country, most likely, but also it's challenging cause of the various connections between her family tree and her match's family trees," said Binder, who is with the DNA Doe Project.
"We're trying to reach out to people who are from there who might know this lady, a missing friend or a missing family member, and have someone contact us," said Det. Somershoe.
Investigators working on other cases
Officials with the Phoenix Police Department and the DNA Doe Project are working on another active case together.
On Feb. 4, 1997, a woman is found dead and partially burned in an abandoned blue Honda Accord near N. 24th Street and E. Monroe Street. This case is significant for Det. Somershoe.
"I was a young patrol officer," said Det. Somershoe. "I responded to that scene, and serendipity or whatever, I inherited that case when I became a detective, and so we've been working to figure out who she is."
That was the first time Det. Somershoe saw a dead body while on duty. That woman is known as "Monique" because the name was written on a purse that was found by her side. "Monique" is described as African American, 5’3" tall, weighing 100 pounds, and possibly a transient seen in the area back then.
Pending cases are those undergoing extraction or DNA sequencing. There have reportedly been delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have a lot of pending cases right now," said Binder. "Some of the labs have been understaffed or closed down during the pandemic at various times."
Motivation comes from success
The success of identification is motivation. In April 2004, Phoenix Police officers found the remains of a middle-aged woman in a rolled-up carpet. The case went cold for nearly 16 years until the DNA Doe Project used the victim's DNA to find a link between families.
Det. Somershoe says the next call he made gave him chills.
"With Ginger Bibb's family, when I reached out to her father, who was in his 80s, he's like, ‘I've been waiting for this phone call,’" Det. Somershoe recalls.
The identification of Ginger Lynn Bibb would be confirmed after her dad submitted his DNA for testing.
Det. Somershoe hopes to solve many more cold cases through forensic genealogy.
"I think this is as major a development as DNA was originally when I started," said Det. Somershoe. "That solved a lot of cases on its own, but now, we're going further."
"If I get an ID, I tell my wife, we go high five," said Missal. "I’m happy, and then I've actually met a couple of the families, and that's very emotionally moving, so that's reward enough for me."
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run cold case that was featured in this report can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. Calls are anonymous, and people can earn a cash reward.
Cairenn Binder a team leader for many cases as Apache Junction and Wendy Stephens case: "We have a lot of pending cases right now that we believe we have identified, but some of the labs have been understaffed or closed down during the pandemic of various times"
Reconstruction artist builds recognizable face for the unidentified
There is a special focus behind Stephen Missal’s process. It’s not just a sketch that he makes. Rather, it’s a facial reconstruction of someone Missal has never met.
Each feature, each mark - what makes them who they are - is a piece of the map to find their identity, and bring them home.
"I wanna capture a likeness that would be if a family member or an acquaintance saw, it would trigger the recognition," said Missal, a forensic reconstruction artist.
Missal draws faces of the unidentified for the Maricopa County medical examiner.
"Some of the images are quite frankly disturbing," said Missal. "I'm honoring them. I'm honoring their family and then, sometimes their end bothers me."
Police investigator tasked with solving cold case
The lead investigator on this case is Detective Stuart Somershoe with Phoenix Police.
"Every holiday, every birthday, every anniversary of the disappearance, not knowing," said Det. Somershoe.
Plastered across walls are questions that echo for dozens of families not knowing what happened to missing loved ones for years, sometimes decades.
"It damages families," said Det. Somershoe. "It destroys families."
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Arizona has the second-highest number of unidentified people in the United States.
"In Arizona, we have almost 2,000 unidentified bodies, and nationwide, it's estimated we have 40,000 unidentified bodies," said Det. Somershoe.
Det. Somershoe says the close proximity to the border is one factor, as people cross into the desert and die. The arid climate turns remains into skeletons quickly, leaving their identities unknown.
"The one thing you get when you're born is you get your name, that's the one thing you should be able to keep when you die, and these people were denied that," said Det. Somershoe. "They're just a John or a Jane Doe."
Organization steps in to help
The DNA Doe Project is a non-profit organization fueled by 60 genealogists volunteering to help law enforcement identify these John Does and Jane Does. It works by uploading the unidentified person's DNA profile is uploaded to two public databases.
DNA Doe Project uses Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch, thus casting a wide net, finding "matches" and narrowing down connections to John or Jane Doe, Pinpointing relatives based on shared DNA.
"They're mapping out a family tree in hopes of finding their Jane Doe," said Det. Somershoe.
This brings us to a drawing of a woman known to Det. Somershoe as "Broadway Street Jane Doe."
The woman is described as Hispanic, 40 to 50 years old, 5’4", with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was hit by a car in Phoenix and left to die near S. 15th Street and E. Broadway on Nov. 21, 2004. At the time, investigators found scribbling on her palm.
According to officials with the DNA Doe Project, the victim's DNA is traced back to Calvillo, a small town in Mexico’s Aguascalientes state, where her parents are believed to be from.
However, forensic genealogist Cairenn Binder says the Jane Doe could be found in multiple branches of a family tree.
"That's the hard part about solving her case, is not only does she have limited matches because she's born in a foreign country, most likely, but also it's challenging cause of the various connections between her family tree and her match's family trees," said Binder, who is with the DNA Doe Project.
"We're trying to reach out to people who are from there who might know this lady, a missing friend or a missing family member, and have someone contact us," said Det. Somershoe.
Investigators working on other cases
Officials with the Phoenix Police Department and the DNA Doe Project are working on another active case together.
On Feb. 4, 1997, a woman is found dead and partially burned in an abandoned blue Honda Accord near N. 24th Street and E. Monroe Street. This case is significant for Det. Somershoe.
"I was a young patrol officer," said Det. Somershoe. "I responded to that scene, and serendipity or whatever, I inherited that case when I became a detective, and so we've been working to figure out who she is."
That was the first time Det. Somershoe saw a dead body while on duty. That woman is known as "Monique" because the name was written on a purse that was found by her side. "Monique" is described as African American, 5’3" tall, weighing 100 pounds, and possibly a transient seen in the area back then.
Pending cases are those undergoing extraction or DNA sequencing. There have reportedly been delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have a lot of pending cases right now," said Binder. "Some of the labs have been understaffed or closed down during the pandemic at various times."
Motivation comes from success
The success of identification is motivation. In April 2004, Phoenix Police officers found the remains of a middle-aged woman in a rolled-up carpet. The case went cold for nearly 16 years until the DNA Doe Project used the victim's DNA to find a link between families.
Det. Somershoe says the next call he made gave him chills.
"With Ginger Bibb's family, when I reached out to her father, who was in his 80s, he's like, ‘I've been waiting for this phone call,’" Det. Somershoe recalls.
The identification of Ginger Lynn Bibb would be confirmed after her dad submitted his DNA for testing.
Det. Somershoe hopes to solve many more cold cases through forensic genealogy.
"I think this is as major a development as DNA was originally when I started," said Det. Somershoe. "That solved a lot of cases on its own, but now, we're going further."
"If I get an ID, I tell my wife, we go high five," said Missal. "I’m happy, and then I've actually met a couple of the families, and that's very emotionally moving, so that's reward enough for me."
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run cold case that was featured in this report can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. Calls are anonymous, and people can earn a cash reward.
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Would be great to get some of these UIDs in the UK identified and returned to family!
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Yes, it certainly would. I’m way out of my league though. I can find stuff. Research is my thing but I’m unfamiliar with so many unnamed humans. If my sister and I would have been unable to find our brother’s remains in the woods ~ there’s no doubt we would still be looking. Even after fifteen years. We got lucky with some homeless people’s tips so we were able to find him after searching for three months. Every tip matters! No matter who they’re from.
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Almost 80 years ago, Norman Weigand went into the surf at Umina on the NSW Central Coast to rescue three teenagers — including his own daughter — but he never came out and his body was never recovered.
Key points:
Mr Fletcher recently gave a sample of DNA as part of a pilot program from the Missing Persons Registry, which collects the genetic markers from relatives of long-term missing people to search against the Unidentified Bodies Index and add to missing persons databases.
Mr Fletcher said his family did not often speak about the tragedy, but it was always there.
"As a child I always felt my mum had issues with this in the past, [with] living with it," he said.
DNA trial raises hope of finding remains 80 years after family surf tragedy
Every day in New South Wales, 25 people are reported missing. For their family and friends the wait for contact or information can be agonising. The good news is however, that the NSW Police Missing Persons Unit exists to help find your loved ones. 99% of missing people reported to the unit are located, with strong assistance from the community.
• In the past year over 11,000 people have been reported missing in New South Wales. (35,000 nationally).
• 23% of those reported missing were considered to be related to some form of mental illness or disorder.
• Nearly half of those reported missing are 16 years and under.
• Nearly 10% of persons reported are aged over 60.
• Males and females go missing in equal numbers.
• Over 99% of missing persons are located: 70% within three days, 86% within two weeks.
• The most common missing persons are girls aged 13 to 15.
• Research indicates that for each person reported missing there are 12 people directly affected by their disappearance.
• Police are keen to raise community awareness of missing persons in an effort to reduce the numbers of persons who put themselves at risk by going missing.
It is important for people to be aware that being reported missing is not a crime and that it is the aim of the NSW Police to ascertain if the missing person is safe and well.
Australian Missing Persons Register
Key points:
- Paul Fletcher's grandfather drowned during a surf rescue in 1942 and his body was never found
- He's given DNA as part of a new push from the Missing Persons Registry with the hope of finding remains
- There are around 330 unidentified bodies or human remains being initially surveyed
Mr Fletcher recently gave a sample of DNA as part of a pilot program from the Missing Persons Registry, which collects the genetic markers from relatives of long-term missing people to search against the Unidentified Bodies Index and add to missing persons databases.
Mr Fletcher said his family did not often speak about the tragedy, but it was always there.
"As a child I always felt my mum had issues with this in the past, [with] living with it," he said.
DNA trial raises hope of finding remains 80 years after family surf tragedy
Every day in New South Wales, 25 people are reported missing. For their family and friends the wait for contact or information can be agonising. The good news is however, that the NSW Police Missing Persons Unit exists to help find your loved ones. 99% of missing people reported to the unit are located, with strong assistance from the community.
• In the past year over 11,000 people have been reported missing in New South Wales. (35,000 nationally).
• 23% of those reported missing were considered to be related to some form of mental illness or disorder.
• Nearly half of those reported missing are 16 years and under.
• Nearly 10% of persons reported are aged over 60.
• Males and females go missing in equal numbers.
• Over 99% of missing persons are located: 70% within three days, 86% within two weeks.
• The most common missing persons are girls aged 13 to 15.
• Research indicates that for each person reported missing there are 12 people directly affected by their disappearance.
• Police are keen to raise community awareness of missing persons in an effort to reduce the numbers of persons who put themselves at risk by going missing.
It is important for people to be aware that being reported missing is not a crime and that it is the aim of the NSW Police to ascertain if the missing person is safe and well.
Australian Missing Persons Register
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