UNTCHI/NamUs operations to cease Jan. 1, 2021

[Tbone144]

From the DNA Doe Facebook page:
DNA Doe Project

.
Q: Is it true that NamUs is going away (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System)???

A: NamUs is not going anywhere. it will just be administered by someone else. NamUs is owned by the DOJ, not UNTCHI. We have also been reassured that DNA extracts housed at UNT will continue to be available to agencies for our future cases.

 

[watcher9]

From the DNA Doe Facebook page:
DNA Doe Project

What a relief! Thank you!

 

[Spartygirl]

Oh Bummer !!
I refer to NamUs a lot for information.
So sad to read about this.

 

[Spartygirl]

What should we do?

Right !! What can we do ??
We need NamUs , IMO
(and I don't just mean "We" as in we here, although I do use it a lot)
But WE as in every missing person case, Unidentified persons, medical, LE and families of the missing people.

Crossing fingers and praying that funds become available and technology programs to keep it up and running.

 

[Spartygirl]

From the DNA Doe Facebook page:
DNA Doe Project

Oh--- wonderful news !! (I think and I hope it is true)
I want to stay updated on NameUS news so I am glad to have this thread for updated info.

 

[Aragon]

I thought that I would come here tonight and see lots of discussions about the end of namus

The NIJ cut funding to namus and it has shut down
If you are unsure whether to believe me or not you can Google and find out that it is no longer available

 

[Aragon]

Of course the website is still up but if you want to know whether or not they are still offering services you can try and email or phone them

 

[coffeeandacig]

I received a response to my question. Here it is:
Thank you for contacting the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

Thank you for reaching out about the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). NamUs is a wholly-owned asset of the U.S. Department of Justice and a critical tool for law enforcement and our citizens nationwide. Database and search services offered through NamUs are operationally located within the Office of Justice Programs and will continue to be available to law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, coroners, and members of the public. The University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTHCI) that has administered the DNA testing and other parts of the NamUs system has not accepted their FY 2020 award of $4.2 million.

The National Institute of Justice is committed to NamUs as a vital tool for investigators and the loved ones of the missing across this country, and is expediting funding vehicle options that will ensure NamUs services are provided by the best means possible.

If you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,
Ken Molter
Customer Service Team Leader
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
https://www.ncjrs.gov

 

[canteloupe]

I received a response to my question. Here it is:
Thank you for contacting the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

Thank you for reaching out about the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). NamUs is a wholly-owned asset of the U.S. Department of Justice and a critical tool for law enforcement and our citizens nationwide. Database and search services offered through NamUs are operationally located within the Office of Justice Programs and will continue to be available to law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, coroners, and members of the public. The University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTHCI) that has administered the DNA testing and other parts of the NamUs system has not accepted their FY 2020 award of $4.2 million.

The National Institute of Justice is committed to NamUs as a vital tool for investigators and the loved ones of the missing across this country, and is expediting funding vehicle options that will ensure NamUs services are provided by the best means possible.

If you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,
Ken Molter
Customer Service Team Leader
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
https://www.ncjrs.gov

For the curious, the NIJ has a funding search tool that will show you grant sizes for its partner institutions. Here's the search cued up with 2019 and UNT.

From my cursory read, it looks like the NIJ has reduced the funding allocated to UNT by more than $1.3 million. I'll try to verify how funding has been allocated previously, but that's a significant reduction.

My initial guess would be that NIJ is trying to force UNT's board of regents to assume the financial burden of salaries, or there are dissenting fiscal conservatives on the board of regents that see NamUs as a poor investment for the university.

 

[fred&edna]

Sooo... will UNT assume more financial responsibility or will another entity take over?

 

[hymphs]

Update!! From Forensic Mag: NamUs is Back: UNT Accepts Award to Manage Program Days After Announcing its Withdrawal NAMUS got new funding! It's saved!! I'm so happy!

 

[coffeeandacig]

Update!! From Forensic Mag: NamUs is Back: UNT Accepts Award to Manage Program Days After Announcing its Withdrawal NAMUS got new funding! It's saved!! I'm so happy!

Now if Namus would bring back public access to dentals and whether DNA is available. Yeah...I can dream...

 

[sarnrse]

Actually, NAMUS might be back, but without the UNT part. From someone who works at UNT:

"But time is running out. We may get cut off on the 23rd or hopefully the 31st at the latest. I am trying to get all caught up, but may not get all the cases I have to do entered. "

An Uncertain Future for a Key Missing Persons Program (undark.org)


While UNT has accepted the financial award to continue to manage NamUs (NamUs is Back: UNT Accepts Award to Manage Program Days After Announcing its Withdrawal ), I want to bring your attention to a Bill that is in the House of Representatives that would help to continue to fund NamUs, CODIS, and other work related to missing persons and unidentified remains.

This bill, H.R. 8772, has been introduced in the House in November by Reps. Gonzalez and Hurd of Texas. Text of H.R. 8772: Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of 2020 (Introduced version) - GovTrack.us This was introduced also in 2018 and didn't get anywhere.

I encourage you to write to your House of Representative to ask that they support this Bill when it comes up for a vote. If you would like sample text, here is what I wrote to my Rep:


Dear Representative -

As one of your constituents, I am writing to request your support on Bill H.R. 8772, the Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of 2020. It is extremely important that nonprofit agencies like NamUS and publicly-funded forensic laboratories are able to get monies to continue their important work: giving the names back of thousands of unidentified Americans.

Thank you for your consideration in support of this Bill.

 

[hymphs]

Actually, NAMUS might be back, but without the UNT part.
While UNT has accepted the financial award to continue to manage NamUs (NamUs is Back: UNT Accepts Award to Manage Program Days After Announcing its Withdrawal )

So UNT is still managing NAMUS but they still have a tight budget and may need to make budget cuts in the future?

 

[sarnrse]

The UNT part is what makes NAMUS unique and separates it from just being a database. UNT has fingerprint experts, DNA experts and forensic dentists to assist with identifications. Even a large city police force cannot afford its own forensic dentist, DNA expert to do one on one comparisons. These are the people that would be cut.

There is also a companion bill in the senate, S.2174 that is basically the same as H.R. 8772, and it is beneficial that this bill be supported as well. This is the basic rationale for Bill 2174.

To the extent provided in advance in appropriations Act, the Attorney General is authorized to use funds appropriated for the operationalization, maintenance, and expansion of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for the purpose of carrying out this Act.

Contacting your senator and asking that he/she support that bill would be helpful also.

 

[CCJD]

“Generally, federal grants are meant as short-term exercises in capacity building and not to underwrite long-term projects, certainly not on the scale of NamUs,” explained Lucas Zarwell, director of the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at NIJ. “Because the NIJ intends NamUs to last, later this year we will begin administering the program through a multi-year contract. A contract will allow us to continue the program indefinitely and give NamUs direct federal oversight, ensuring its transparency to the American taxpayer.”

The new service agreement/contract is effective for 5 years, with a transition period built in as a deliverable to ensure no disruption of service. That same transition period will occur if UNTCHI hands over NamUs to another entity come April. Currently, DNA typing and forensic anthropology are suspended at UNTCHI, but the NIJ told Forensic there is a grant coming to revive those soon. Those two services will then continue during the new contract, in addition to fingerprint examinaton, forensic odontology and databasing.
BBM
Much more here: NamUs May Get a New Managing Entity in April