Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains

8/8/2019 Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains

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If you ask most Americans about a massdisaster, they’re likely to think of the9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center,

Hurricane Katrina, or the Southeast Asiantsunami. Very few people—including lawenforcement officials—would think of thenumber of missing persons and unidentifiedhuman remains in our Nation as a crisis. Itis, however, what experts call “a mass

disaster over time.”

The facts are sobering. On any given day,there are as many as 100,000 active missingpersons cases in the United States. Everyyear, tens of thousands of people vanishunder suspicious circumstances. Viewedover a 20-year period, the number of missingpersons can be estimated in the hundredsof thousands.

Due in part to sheer volume, missing personsand unidentified human remains cases are

a tremendous challenge to State and locallaw enforcement agencies. The workloadfor these agencies is staggering: More than40,000 sets of human remains that cannotbe identified through conventional meansare held in the evidence rooms of medicalexaminers throughout the country. 1 But only6,000 of these cases—15 percent—havebeen entered into the FBI’s National CrimeInformation Center (NCIC) database.

Efforts to solve missing persons cases

are further hindered because many citiesand counties continue to bury unidentifiedremains without attempting to collect DNAsamples. And many labs that are willing tomake the effort may not be equipped toperform DNA analysis of human remains,especially when the samples are old ordegraded.

Compounding this problem is the fact thatmany of the Nation’s 17,000 law enforcementagencies don’t know about their State’smissing persons clearinghouse or the four

Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains:The Nation’s Silent Mass Disasterby Nancy Ritter

Ab ut t AutNancy Ritter is a writer/editor at the National Institute of Justice andEditor of the NIJ Journal.



N I J J o u r N a l / I s s u e N o . 2 5 6

Federal databases—NCIC, National CrimeInformation Center; CODIS(mp), CombinedDNA Index System for Missing Persons;IAFIS, Integrated Automated FingerprintIdentification System; and ViCAP, ViolentCriminal Apprehension Program—whichcan be invaluable tools in a missing personinvestigation. (See sidebar above, “TheFederal Databases and What They Do.”)Even in jurisdictions that are familiar withthe State and Federal databases, someofficials say they have neither the timenor the resources to enter missing personsand unidentified human remains data intothe systems.

B i gi g t GapTo help State and local jurisdictions addressthe country’s “mass disaster over time,”the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) hasbrought together some of the country’s topcriminal justice and forensic science experts.As part of the President’s multiyear initiativeto maximize the use of forensic DNA in solv-ing crime, NIJ is making Federal resources

available to State and local law enforcementofficials to identify human remains and helpsolve missing persons cases.

NIJ’s plan is multifaceted. It includesprograms aimed at:

■ Training medical examiners, law enforce-ment officers, and victims’ families onforensic DNA evidence.

■ Providing free testing of unidentifiedhuman remains and family reference

samples.■ Encouraging States—through proposed

model legislation—to collect DNA samplesbefore unidentified remains are disposedof and to analyze degraded and oldbiological samples.

■ Making DNA reference sample collectionkits available, free of charge, to anyjurisdiction in the country.

■ Increasing law enforcement’s use ofFederal databases to solve missing personsand unidentified human remains cases.

The FederAl dATABAses And WhAT They do

■ CODIS(mp) (Combined DNA Index

System for Missing Persons): Alsoknown as the National MissingPerson DNA Database (NMPDD),CODIS(mp) is a database specifi-cally designed to assemble dataon missing persons and unidenti-fied human remains cases. It wascreated in 2000 by the FBI usingexisting portions of the CODISdatabase. The searchable databaseincludes information on nuclear andmitochondrial DNA obtained fromunidentified remains, relativesof missing persons, and personalreference samples. Having bothtypes of DNA profiles maximizesthe potential for a successfulidentification.

■ IAFIS (Integrated AutomatedFingerprint Identification System): Maintained by the FBI’s CriminalJustice Information Services

Division, this national fingerprint

and criminal history databaseprovides automated fingerprintsearch capabilities, latent searchcapability, electronic imagestorage, and electronic exchangeof fingerprints and responses.Agencies may submit fingerprintselectronically and will receive quickturnaround on analyses.

■ NCIC (National Crime InformationCenter): An information systemmaintained by the FBI and dedi-

cated to serving and supportingFederal, State, and local criminaljustice agencies.

■ ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehen-sion Program): This nationwidedata center is designed to collect,collate, and analyze information oncrimes of violence, such as homi-cides, sexual assaults, kidnappings,and missing persons cases.




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“CsI” M t t r a WMany of the people who go missing inthe United States are victims of homicide.Although the conventional approach to locat-ing a missing person is to initiate a criminalinvestigation into the disappearance, in manycases, the investigation begins at a differentpoint—when human remains are found.

This is where the Center for HumanIdentification (CHI) steps in. Located at theUniversity of North Texas Health ScienceCenter, CHI is one of NIJ’s largest and mostexciting DNA projects. At CHI’s laboratory inFt. Worth, State and local law enforcementagencies can have nuclear and mitochondrialDNA (mtDNA) testing performed on skeletalremains and on missing persons’ familyand direct reference samples. 2 Experts atCHI’s Laboratory for Forensic Anthropology,such as Harrell Gill-King, Ph.D., also performanthropological examinations on unidentifiedhuman remains to determine manner andcause of death. All of this testing is free. NIJ’s funding of this revolutionary projectmeans that every jurisdiction in the UnitedStates has access to one of the few labora-tories in the country that can search mtDNA

and short tandem repeat (STR) profiles inthe CODIS(mp) database.

It also means that Dereck Bachmann canfinally stop looking for his sister.

Fi a , C uMarci Bachmann was 16 when she ranaway from her Vancouver, Washingtonhome in May 1984. Although her remainswere found a few months later—discoveredin the woods near Deer Creek in Missoula,

Montana—no one knew that the remainswere hers.

For nearly two decades, Dereck, Marci’sbrother, searched newspapers and missingpersons files and even hired a privateinvestigator to find Marci. Finally, in 2004,a series of events brought him and hisfamily the closure they were seeking.

It began when a cold case detective inMissoula heard about CHI. The detective

sent a femur from the Deer Creek remainsto the lab. There, scientists ran DNA testson the bone fragments and uploadedthe profile into the CODIS(mp) database.

Meanwhile, in King County, Washington,authorities working on an unrelated murdercase came across Marci’s missing per-sons file. Detectives tracked down Marci’smother, obtained a DNA sample from her,and sent it to the CHI lab. When a databasesearch indicated a potential match with theremains of the victim in the Deer Creekcase, officials sent DNA from Marci’sbrother and father to CHI for further tests.

On April 6, 2006—more than 21 years afterher body was unearthed from a shallow

grave—Marci Bachmann was “found.”4

s vi g C CaWhen George Adams, program managerfor CHI, is asked about cold hits likethe Marci Bachmann case—where theDNA from unidentified remains matchesthe DNA from reference samples thathave been sent to the lab without anyapparent connection—he paraphrasesVernon Geberth from Practical Homicide

Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques . “Solving a cold caselike Marci’s is not a matter of chance or luck;it is, quite simply, a matter of design andprotocol.”

The “design” Adams refers to is theCODIS(mp) database. The “protocol”works like this: A person goes missing;if he or she is not found within 0 days,a family reference sample is obtained.The sample can take either of two forms—a DNA sample from a close relative(obtained by a simple, noninvasive cheekswab) or from a personal item belongingto the missing person (such as hair froma comb or saliva from a toothbrush). Thesample is then sent to the lab, and the DNAis analyzed. The results or “profiles” arethen loaded into the database.

Simultaneously, human remains foundthroughout the country are being sent toCHI’s lab for analysis and uploading intothe database. DNA profiles from missing

No longer does solving a

missing persons or unidentified human remains case have

to depend on a break in the investigation

because we now have the design and protocol of

pure science.




persons or their families are comparedwith unidentified human remains in theCODIS(mp) database. “If we already havethe family reference sample, we will get

a match,” Adams stated. No longer doessolving a missing persons or unidentifiedhuman remains case have to depend ona “break in the investigation,” he added,“because we now have the design andprotocol of pure science.”

P pu ati g t databa :samp C cti KitBut the database will help solve cases onlyif profiles from DNA samples and recoveredhuman remains are submitted for analysis

and uploaded into the system. “We’veseen a tremendous increase in the numberof remains samples, but we really need towork on getting family reference samples,”said Arthur Eisenberg, Ph.D., director of CHIand a member of NIJ’s Missing PersonsNational Task Force. “If families don’t sendreference or biological samples—whichat this stage must be collected by a lawenforcement official—human remainscannot be identified.”

To facilitate this process, NIJ has funded

CHI’s development of two DNA samplecollection kits: one for family referencesamples and the other for collecting andtransporting human remains. Both kitsare available free of charge to any policedepartment, medical examiner, or coronerin the United States. As of July 2006, morethan 4,000 family reference sample kits hadbeen disseminated.

G tti g t W outSpreading the word about this free resource

remains a challenge. Last June, the Wash-ington State’s Office of the Attorney Generalissued a bulletin encouraging local jurisdic-tions to send family reference samples toCHI, making Washington the first Stateto solicit samples on a statewide basis.Eisenberg said he has no doubt that as wordof the CHI analysis and database spreads,it will come to be regarded not as a tool oflast resort in missing persons and unidenti-fied human remains cases, but rather as aprimary investigative tool.

one FACe BehInd nIJ’s WorKMelody Reilly’s brother,Shawn, was murdered in the summer of 2005.His body was dumped in a field in rural Bastrop County, Texas, and was extremely decomposed when found. A year later,the Center for HumanIdentification (CHI), at the University of North Texas Health Science Center,identified Shawn’s body from his DNA. Here is

the letter that Melody wrote to George Adams, of CHI, after the men who killed her brother were convicted.

Dear Mr. Adams,

I just want to tell you how much your office’s work means to me,my sisters, our husbands, children, and extended family. Also onbehalf of our parents, who are no longer here; but I am sure theyappreciate your efforts, as well.

My sister Michelle and I were in court during the trial last week,and it was so comforting to see the people who worked so hardto identify my brother’s remains.

My brother, Shawn, was an amazing and special person whoended up in the company of the wrong, and the worst, people.What our family has gone through is almost the worst you canimagine—wondering where Shawn was, hoping the remainswere not his. The only thing worse is the terrible thought of notknowing where my brother is now. I wish he was here next to me,laughing and smiling, but unfortunately that is no longer possible.What your office did to identify my brother and allow us to bringhis remains home is something I can never repay or expressenough gratitude for. It really scares me to think we could bein a completely different place right now.

We feel badly because we put so much pressure—sometimesdaily—on Investigator Yarbrough to give us some answers fromAugust through March, and he tried his best to keep us calm.I didn’t realize how much work and time it takes to identifysomeone, and I am now happy that your office took everyday and every minute they needed to get it done properly.

Please pass my thoughts on to those involved and let them knowtheir work is important and invaluable. I am attaching a photo ofShawn so maybe you and they can have a nicer image of him.

Melody Reilly

Shawn Reilly




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As of July 2006, CHI had received morethan 680 unidentified human remains andmore than 1,600 family reference samples.Importantly, the lab is in the final stages of

being able to use robots, which will allowthe number of DNA analyses to skyrocket:one robot, for example, will be able toanalyze 17,800 DNA samples per year.

Five States—California, Kansas, Nevada,New Mexico, and Texas—have laws thatfocus on locating missing persons andidentifying human remains. In 2005, NIJbrought together, Federal, State, andlocal law enforcement officials, forensicscientists, victims advocates, legislators,and families of missing persons to draft

model State legislation on the promptcollection, analysis, and disseminationof evidence to help solve these cases.(See www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/ 210740v2.pdf.) Seven States (Alabama,Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio,and Washington) and the District ofColumbia have introduced bills that usethe proposed legislation as guidance.Also, legislators in Kansas and New Mexicoare seeking to amend their existing laws.

Moving to solve the ProblemIn addition to prohibiting the cremation ofunidentified remains, the model legislationwould require that:

■ Law enforcement agencies accept everymissing person report and share caseinformation with State and regionalauthorities.

■ DNA samples be taken within 0 daysof a missing person report and theindividual’s profile be added to national,

State, and local databases.■ Cases involving high-risk missing persons

be assessed immediately (high-risk casesmight include, for example, a possiblestranger abduction or a person whorequires medical attention or is mentallyimpaired).

■ DNA analysis be performed on all unidenti-fied human remains.

searching the databa eOne of the biggest challenges in missingpersons and unidentified human remainscases is searching and correlating caseinformation. The Missing Persons NationalTask Force is examining ways that Federaldatabases can share information to helpsolve these cases.

The challenge is significant. For example,NCIC contains more than 100,000 missingpersons cases, but the Integrated AutomatedFingerprint Identification System containsonly 47. NCIC contains just 15 percent ofunidentified human remains cases, in partbecause it is so labor intensive to enter thedata into the system. To encourage Stateand local law enforcement agencies’ useof NCIC, the FBI published an updatedversion of the Missing Persons andUnidentified Persons data collectionguides, which walk users through theprocess of comparing new and existingdata on missing persons and unidentifiedhuman remains investigations. Electronicversions of the guides are available to lawenforcement officials through the LawEnforcement Online (LEO) intranet.

ViCAP is another valuable tool availableto State and local officials. It is alsounderused for several reasons. Becausedata entered into NCIC do not automaticallypopulate the ViCAP database (which is alsorun by the FBI), many jurisdictions choosenot to use it. And until recently, most of theNation’s medical examiners and coronersdid not have access to ViCAP. This situationis changing, however, as the FBI negotiatesmemoranda of understanding with localjurisdictions that will give medical examinersand coroners access to the database. The

FBI is also developing a DVD for lawenforcement that explains how ViCAPworks. And with help from the CriminalJustice Information Services (CJIS) Division,ViCAP may soon be Web-enabled. Insteadof having to enter case information via aCD-ROM, which is then mailed to CJISfor uploading, users would need only anInternet connection and an LEO accountto enter case data directly into ViCAP.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210740v2.pdf

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210740v2.pdf




law e forc m t Trai i g ... a d Mor

In addition to funding CHI’s work, NIJadministers a wide range of projects underthe President’s DNA Initiative. One majoreffort involves the training of police officers;prosecutors, defense counsel, and judges;forensic and medical specialists; victimservice providers; and corrections, probation,and parole officers on the use of forensicDNA evidence. To date, NIJ has heldtwo regional missing persons trainingconferences, and by the end of 2006,NIJ’s missing persons training reachedprofessionals from all 50 States. NIJ isalso developing many types of electronictraining tools—one recent release isPrinciples of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court, an interactive, computer-based training program on the use ofDNA evidence in the courtroom.

Other NIJ programs seek to eliminate thebacklog of biological samples in murder,rape, and kidnapping cases in forensiclaboratories across the country. Since 2004,NIJ has provided funding to State and localagencies to reduce casework and convictedoffender backlogs. NIJ also supports thedevelopment of tools and technology for

faster, less costly methods of DNA analysis,including ways to analyze smaller and moredegraded biological samples.

And NIJ will continue to fund programs thatenhance the use of DNA to solve crimes,protect the innocent, and identify missingpersons.

NCJ 21652

For More Information

■ For DNA sample testing kits and freetesting of DNA samples, contact theCenter for Human Identification at1–800–76 – 147, or visit www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pathology_anatomy/dna/forensic.htm.

■ Information on improving the use of foren-sic DNA evidence throughout the Nation’scriminal justice system can be found atwww.dna.gov.

■ An online training program for prosecutors,defense attorneys, and judges, Principles

of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court, can be downloaded at www.dna.gov/ training/otc. (See “Online DNA TrainingTargets Lawyers, Judges” on p.16.)

■ An electronic version of the FBI’sMissing Persons and Unidentified Personsdata collection guide is available to law

enforcement officials through the LEOIntranet at http://home.leo.gov/lesig/cjis/ programs/ncic.

not s

1. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is finalizing acomprehensive census of the Nation’s medicalexaminers and coroners. This study—expected to be published in early 2007—will examinedata from 2,000 medical examiners andcoroners and focus on the issue of uniden-tified human remains.

2. Nuclear DNA is the genetic material inheritedfrom both parents: half from the mother andhalf from the father. It is found in the nucleusof each cell and is unique to each individual(except in cases of identical twins). NuclearDNA is a powerful identifier and has beenused for forensic purposes for decades.Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)—which isfound in the mitochondria of a cell, outsidethe nucleus—is inherited solely from themother and is not unique. Everyone in thesame maternal line, for generations, will havethe same mtDNA. Its use as a forensic tool innarrowing the pool of possible donors of asample is a more recent development.

. Short tandem repeats (STRs) are shortsequences of DNA nucleotides that arerepeated numerous times. An individualgenetic profile can be created by countingthe number of repeats of the DNA sequenceat a specific location on a chromosome.This repeat number varies greatly betweenindividuals.

4. According to authorities in Missoula, MarciBachmann was murdered by Missoula serialkiller Wayne Nance.

NIJ has held two regional missing persons training conferences, and by the end of 2006,

NIJ’s missing persons training reached professionals from all 50 States.

http://www.dna.gov/training/otc

http://www.dna.gov/training/otc

http://www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pathology_%20anatomy/dna/forensic.htm



Documents

Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains