DNA Testing of Unidentified Remains

The University of North Texas Health Science Center is coordinating with medical examiners' and coroners' offices, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center for Missing Adults, and law enforcement agencies to identify, collect, and perform DNA analysis on unidentified remains and reference samples.
For more information, contact the Center for Human Identification at 1-800-763-3147 or missingpersons@hsc.unt.edu.
DNA Reference Kits

The University of North Texas Health Science Center—funded by the National Institute of Justice—developed two standardized collection kits. One kit provides a safe, effective, noninvasive means for obtaining the appropriate family reference samples. A second kit provides for the collection, transportation, and storage of human remains samples. These kits were developed in conjunction with groups such as the FBI Laboratory, the National Association of Medical Examiners, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the National Center for Missing Adults.
For more information, contact the Center for Human Identification at 1-800-763-3147 or missingpersons@hsc.unt.edu.
The President's DNA Initiative—Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology

DNA technology is increasingly vital to ensuring accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system. DNA can be used to identify criminals with incredible accuracy when biological evidence exists, and DNA can be used to clear suspects, exonerate persons mistakenly accused or convicted of crimes, and solve missing persons and unidentified human remains cases.
To increase the use of DNA technology in the criminal justice system, the President announced a 5-year, more than $1 billion initiative to improve the use of DNA in the criminal justice system on March 11, 2003. The Initiative calls for increased funding, training, and assistance—to Federal, State, and local forensic labs; to police; to medical professionals; to victim service providers; and to prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges—to ensure that this technology reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons. This Initiative—Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology—has the following goals:
Eliminate the current backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples and biological evidence for the most serious violent offenses—rapes, murders, and kidnappings—and for convicted offender samples needing testing.
Improve crime laboratories' capacities to analyze DNA samples in a timely fashion.
Stimulate research and develop new DNA technologies and advances in all forensic sciences areas.
Develop training and provide assistance about the collection and use of DNA evidence to a wide variety of criminal justice professionals.
Provide access to appropriate postconviction DNA testing of crime scene evidence not tested at the time of trial.
Ensure that DNA forensic technology is used to its full potential to solve missing persons cases and identify human remains.
Protect the innocent.
The President's DNA Initiative will help ensure that DNA forensic technology is used to its full potential to identify missing persons by providing:
Publications
Analysis of Remains and Biological Samples
Training and Assistance
DNA Reference Kits
Educational Materials for Families
Research, Development, and Testing
Funding for Crime Laboratories
DNA Projects Target Missing Persons Cases—Reprinted from The CJIS Link (Vol. 9, No. 3, October 2006), the newsletter of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)

Information on Missing Persons from NCJRS

Full Text Publications
Abstracts Only
Questions & Answers
Related Links
Information on Missing Children from NCJRS

Publications
Questions & Answers
Related Links

http://www.namus.gov/

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, NamUs, is the first national online repository for missing persons records and unidentified
decedent cases. It was launched in July 2007 by the Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice.
NamUs is made up of two databases: (1) records of unidentified decedents (select "Unidentified Decedents”) and (2) missing persons reports (select “Missing Persons”).
Currently, the unidentified decedents database is searchable and available for medical examiners and coroners to upload their cases. The search capability of the missing persons database is in development; the site currently provides resources on State clearinghouses, medical examiners and coroners, law enforcement, victim assistance resources, and legislation.
In 2009, the two databases will be linked. Families, law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and coroners, victim advocates, and the general public will be able to search for matches between missing persons and unidentified decedent records.

National Centre For Missing Adults
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/index.php
National Clearinghouse
The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) serves as a national repository of information accessible to the general public, advocacy groups, and law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners.

The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) is a division of Nation's Missing Children Organization, Inc. (NMCO) - a 501c (3) non-profit organization working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs.
The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) was formally established after the passage of Kristen’s Law (H.R. 2780) by the 106th United States Congress on October 26th, 2000 (S11181). As directed by H.R. 2780, NCMA operates as the national clearinghouse for missing adults, providing services and coordination between various government agencies, law enforcement, media, and most importantly - the families of missing adults. NCMA also maintains a national database of missing adults determined to be "endangered" or otherwise at-risk.
More precisely - NCMA performs the following core legally mandated functions:
(1) to establish and maintain a national clearinghouse for missing adults;
(2) to assist law enforcement and families in locating missing adults;
(3) to serve as a national repository of information accessible to the general public, advocacy groups, and law enforcement for the purpose of tracking missing adults who are determined by law enforcement to be endangered due to age, diminished mental capacity, or the circumstances of disappearance are suspicious, when foul play is suspected or circumstances are unknown;
(4) to maintain statistical information of adults reported as missing;
(5) to provide informational resources and referrals to families of missing adults;
(6) to assist in public notification and provide victim advocacy related to missing adults;
(7) to develop and deliver training to improve law enforcement response to missing adults and their families through training and promotion of best practices in service delivery.

The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) is a division of Nation's Missing Children Organization, Inc. (NMCO) - a 501c (3) non-profit organization working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs.
The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) was formally established after the passage of Kristen’s Law (H.R. 2780) by the 106th United States Congress on October 26th, 2000 (S11181). As directed by H.R. 2780, NCMA operates as the national clearinghouse for missing adults, providing services and coordination between various government agencies, law enforcement, media, and most importantly - the families of missing adults. NCMA also maintains a national database of missing adults determined to be "endangered" or otherwise at-risk.
More precisely - NCMA performs the following core legally mandated functions:
(1) to establish and maintain a national clearinghouse for missing adults;
(2) to assist law enforcement and families in locating missing adults;
(3) to serve as a national repository of information accessible to the general public, advocacy groups, and law enforcement for the purpose of tracking missing adults who are determined by law enforcement to be endangered due to age, diminished mental capacity, or the circumstances of disappearance are suspicious, when foul play is suspected or circumstances are unknown;
(4) to maintain statistical information of adults reported as missing;
(5) to provide informational resources and referrals to families of missing adults;
(6) to assist in public notification and provide victim advocacy related to missing adults;
(7) to develop and deliver training to improve law enforcement response to missing adults and their families through training and promotion of best practices in service delivery.

National Centre For Missing Adults
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/index.php

Project Jason announces the featured missing persons in the October 2009 issue of the CDLJobs.com Online Magazine, which can be viewed at http://www.cdljobs.com/cdljobsonlinemagazine/OCT09.htm This month's ad is on page 10. The site receives thousands of visitors per day.

Each month, CDLJobs.com publishes a full color ad in their popular online magazine which will feature 5-6 of Project Jason's missing person cases from across the country. The ad has clickable links which take the reader to additional information about the missing person, and a link to their printable poster. Readers are encouraged to sign up for the AAN program and help with poster distribution. "You can be a Hero" is the theme of the joint venture.

Awareness Angels Network (AAN). AAN, begun by Project Jason in 2008, provides a way for the public to assist the families of missing persons. Missing persons posters designed specifically for the AAN program are disseminated via email to those enrolled in the program. Participants can then upload the posters to websites, print and place the posters in public areas, and forward them to their contacts. The program helps spread the word and increase the chances of finding the person.

In the October issue, the following missing persons were featured:

Peter Achermann, missing from Staples, MN since 7/24/2009
http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6533

Katie Jo Brewer, missing from Bonham, TX since 9/12/2009
http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6902

Emma Carroll, missing from Pembroke, GA since 7/18/2009
http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6477

Patricia Viola, missing from Bogota, NJ, IL since 2/13/2001
http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=314

Caleta White, missing from Tukwila, WA since 8/22/2006
http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=334


You can read more about this program at http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6319.0

LIGHT A CANDLE
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=D2C