General Questions, discussions, briefings, newbies, etc.

[sunnynz]

I don't know where to ask this question so I will ask it here. When everything is estimates on NamUs how accurate do you find them to be? Like for height and pmi are they pretty much right on or just a little off usually?

It can vary. Sometimes very accurate, occasionally really not. When remains are skeletal then there’s possibly more chance of inaccuracies. If the height and weight are fairly close between a uid and a missing person then be happy with that. Don’t expect them to be identical. Remember too that sometimes the recorded height and weight of a missing person can be inaccurate because it might be based off a friend or relatives memory.

 

[Dylansmom08]

Does anyone know why NamUs Unidentified section is not working? It wasn't working yesterday either every search I do it says there are zero matches even if I just try to pick a state and look at all of them.

 

[CCJD]

Does anyone know why NamUs Unidentified section is not working? It wasn't working yesterday either every search I do it says there are zero matches even if I just try to pick a state and look at all of them.

There was an upgrade to NamUs 2.0 this past week that has caused a lot of issues. IT people are working to get it all back to normal. (I emailed the RPS for PA and asked)

I think it was Wednesday that all of the categories (missing, unclaimed and UID) were all showing zero cases. Missing and unclaimed are ok now but unidentified - not so much. If you have the NamUs UP#, you can view the case file but any search attempt brings up 0 possible results.

Hopefully they'll have it fixed soon.

 

[CCJD]

Does anyone know why NamUs Unidentified section is not working?

Just checked - it appears to be working again.

 

[Dylansmom08]

Is there any websites for missing people from Mexico? Or a good way to go about getting the unidentified back to their families in Mexico? I have been looking at the large number of unidentified people who are found after crossing the border and several of them have identification on them with their name but yet they are still listed in the unidentified. I want to help get them back to their home but I am hitting dead ends every where I turn to try and find a way to do that.

 

[HansNight2090]

Hello all.
I’ve reached out to mods, and a few others on here and some have not known the answer.

I constantly see people “submitting” UIDs as potential matches to missing persons on NamUs. How does one do this? I am unable to submit anything aside from a new missing person. Only other options I am given are search options.

Second, I have a public NamUs registry, so I need a professional registry to see DNA, and other more advanced characteristics of MPs and UIDs?

Thank you so much!

 

[sunnynz]

Hello all.
I’ve reached out to mods, and a few others on here and some have not known the answer.

I constantly see people “submitting” UIDs as potential matches to missing persons on NamUs. How does one do this? I am unable to submit anything aside from a new missing person. Only other options I am given are search options.

Second, I have a public NamUs registry, so I need a professional registry to see DNA, and other more advanced characteristics of MPs and UIDs?

Thank you so much!

Hi, I’m not sure of the exact detail that a professional Namus registration will get you but I don’t believe anyone has access to DNA any more. I might be wrong.

there are a few ways to submit a match - doe network has a form or you can contact the law enforcement contact directly via phone or email.

 

[HansNight2090]

Hi, I’m not sure of the exact detail that a professional Namus registration will get you but I don’t believe anyone has access to DNA any more. I might be wrong.

there are a few ways to submit a match - doe network has a form or you can contact the law enforcement contact directly via phone or email.

Great! Thank you very much, I had hesitations of submitting a potential match to a Jane Doe in my area directly to LE because I was under the impression this cross comparison could be submitted and then tabulated by NamUs, I’m glad I don’t have to waste any more time worrying about trying to figure that out.

 

[Dylansmom08]

I submit potential to matches to NamUs by contacting either the NamUs co-ordinator for that case or if the ME or detective have an email I will write a letter for consideration to them directly. You can also call the ME or detective in charge of the case and give them the NamUs case number for the one you think you have identified and the reasons why you feel they could be a match.

 

[CCJD]

Hello all.
I’ve reached out to mods, and a few others on here and some have not known the answer.

I constantly see people “submitting” UIDs as potential matches to missing persons on NamUs. How does one do this? I am unable to submit anything aside from a new missing person. Only other options I am given are search options.

Second, I have a public NamUs registry, so I need a professional registry to see DNA, and other more advanced characteristics of MPs and UIDs?

Thank you so much!

If you want to go through NamUs to submit, click on Contacts for the missing and/or UID. On the left you will see "Contact NamUs" with the RPS name and email link. Just copy and paste and the email link into your regular email acct (gmail, yahoo, etc). You don't need to register or be logged in to NamUs.

Professional User include law enforcement officers, medical examiners, coroners, missing person clearinghouse personnel, and other allied professionals. Professional User registration requires sponsorship from a criminal justice agency, and once vetted, the user will be granted heightened permissions within the NamUs system, as appropriate; to access secure information, manage agency cases, and network with other criminal justice professionals.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Submitting to Doe Network:
Potential Match Submission To Panel
Thank you for taking the time to submit a potential match. The Doe Network reviews all potential matches before voting on whether or not to forward to Law Enforcement. This panel review is intended to help ensure that only the best potential matches are submitted to Law Enforcement.
Potential Match Submission To Panel

 

[HansNight2090]

Thank you so much everyone for the responses. Greatly appreciated.

 

[RastaGee]

Wondering, oh dear mods, about an idea I have.

What is the possibility of getting together any questions we have about NamUs in a list and then possibly making contact with someone at NamUs for answers? Maybe no one else has questions, I don't know, but I do.

For example, I ran across a case recently where looking at the dentals of an UID, half of them were listed as "N" and half were listed as "P" or postmortem loss. When dentals are run for comparison in NamUs and possible hits generated, is that going to generate a hit against someone who had all "N"'s??

Also, sometimes I'm confused by the different choices for DNA...some say "sample submitted, tests complete," while some say "available and entered." or something to that effect. So is that to say the former is not entered in NamUs, and if not, is it just due to backlog and eventually it will be?

Does NamUs ever run keyword search type matches? If someone enters that an MP has a tattoo of a butterfly on their shoulder, will that type of information ever generate an automatic hit on NamUs?

Does an LE case manager have to check the system to see if there is a match flagged for their person? Or are they e-mailed a set of results every so often? Are the matches prioritized in any kind of way?

I guess if anyone else here knows these answers, please chime in. Otherwise, there is a lot about this system that I'm kind of curious to know more about.

I have many of the same questions! Thanks for bringing them up!

 

[RastaGee]

Is anyone here on Pinterest? I tried something that I think might work out kind of cool. Most people I know use the site to share decorating, recipe, or fashion ideas, but not me, hehehe.

http://pinterest.com/missingpieces/missing-persons/

This is the Pinterest page I made of missing persons. I just threw a couple up as an example and to test it out. This particular page of missing persons are all missing persons that were pregnant at the time of their disappearance (note to self: I probably should put the label "pregnant" on there somewhere.)

Sometimes I am reading about an UID and a face pops into my head of a missing person I've seen somewhere...but I can't remember their name, or can't find where I wrote it down. I sit there going "Oh, wait, who was that man with the gap in his teeth?" or "Didn't I just read somewhere about a girl with a pin in her arm?"

So I'm thinking of trying to test out different boards on Pinterest for different categories like that.

I like how on Namus I can customize a search much more than on Doe. I like that Doe has the photo index, but they're not in any order. So I'm hoping if I can pin a bunch of pregnant missing person files on one page, for example, then when I come across an UID pregnant woman with a sketch or reconstruction I can have a way to take just a quick glance and see who might fit. Just one more tool to use to wade through all this info.

NOTE: I only put up missing persons, not links to UID's and think for a site like Pinterest that is best. When you "pin" something anyone can see it and it comes up in searches of things people have pinned. I can imagine people may feel uncomfortable to see morgue pics, etc. there.

Can someone please look and see if you can access this page without being a member and if it works as well for you as it does for me? I think if you click the photo of the missing person it should take you to their Doe or NamUs page. Any feedback/ideas appreciated too. Thanks!

I attempted to try and find your site by clicking directly on the link you posted & also by doing a search in Pinterest & also by typing the the address directly-I couldn’t find it ! I think you have a GREAT idea & would have loved to find your info you posted!

 

[RastaGee]

The links worked for me, Irish Eyes. What a clever idea. If I enter your user name in the search box for "People", it takes me to your pages without being logged in as a user. I wasn't familiar with Pinterest before now. Thanks for sharing.

I tried by using the address & searched the topic-which got me nowhere-I didn’t even think of searching for her name! Thanks!

 

[RastaGee]

High School Yearbooks

Do you still have your High School Yearbooks for the years 1988 or prior?. Memory Lane (i.e., Classmates.com) wants to include your yearbook in their massive collection.

Other sites (Ancestry.com and e-yearbooks.com) have some yearbooks on their sites, but they don't have anywhere near the number of yearbooks in their collection that Memory Lane has.

Having access to the Memory Lane collection has been quite useful in researching UID and MP cases. In several instances, I have found high school portraits for missing persons for whom no photo was previously available. I also believe (though it still hasn't been verified) that I found a portrait of one of the mystery persons in the Rodney Alcala photo collection in a 1970 book for a school in NYC.

In recent months, I have been performing the very tedious task of browsing through 1960's, 1970's and 1980's yearbooks from around the country looking for some of the teens and 20's UID's for whom a clear photo is available. I am currently looking for Buckskin Girl and the 1984 Davie FL Jane Doe w/Curly Blonde hair. I have found some pretty close possibles for both, but were able to rule them out.

Memory Lane has thousands of yearbooks, but their collection is by no means complete. We need a more complete library to assist us in our research. If you are willing to loan your yearbook to Memory Lane to include it in their online library, you can do so by clicking the following link and completing the requested information.

High School Yearbooks on Classmates.com

Memory Lane will pay all the costs of shipping your yearbook to and from their location. Upon completion of the online form linked above, if they don't already have your edition, you will receive in the mail the Fed-Ex shipping boxes, the shipping authorization form, and the necessary paperwork for you to sign. You can then package up the books and drop them off at your local Kinko's. The books will be returned to you in 4-6 weeks.

I have loaned two of my High School yearbooks (1978 and 1981 El Segundo High School), and I am currently loaning them three of my mother's yearbooks (Grand Ledge (MI) High School 1937, 1938, and 1939).

These books are only available to paid subscribers. If you would like to include your yearbook, but are unable to access the collection to verify whether they already have a copy of your year(s), drop me a PM, and I will check for you.

How do I drop you a PM?

 

[RastaGee]

There are two missing persons cases that I think would be really fascinating to solve, and suprisingly, they are not on Doe, Charlie, or NamUs. One being D.B. Cooper, and the other being Jimmy Hoffa.

One day out of sheer boredom I took a gander in NamUs. There is only one UID that would seem to make any sense to be Hoffa - found in Sept of '75 in a lake in Wisconsin (male torso only). The lake is off I-94, which winds down past Chicago, and eventually to the Detroit area. The FBI seems to think the NY mob was behind Hoffa's disappearance, but it's easy to see why the Milwaukee outfit would have had some incentive to hate Hoffa then too. Hoffa was threatening to cut off access to loans that Milwaukee relied on for its casino ventures. Calling this a long shot would be an understatement, but my curiosity is peaked anyway. And I do wonder why they are not in NamUs as MP's....because you just never know....

I think these cases would be great to work on! I do know that at some point in time a bundle of money was found-most of it burned-leading to speculation that D.B. Cooper had been there & was attempting to stay warm.

There are two missing persons cases that I think would be really fascinating to solve, and suprisingly, they are not on Doe, Charlie, or NamUs. One being D.B. Cooper, and the other being Jimmy Hoffa.

One day out of sheer boredom I took a gander in NamUs. There is only one UID that would seem to make any sense to be Hoffa - found in Sept of '75 in a lake in Wisconsin (male torso only). The lake is off I-94, which winds down past Chicago, and eventually to the Detroit area. The FBI seems to think the NY mob was behind Hoffa's disappearance, but it's easy to see why the Milwaukee outfit would have had some incentive to hate Hoffa then too. Hoffa was threatening to cut off access to loans that Milwaukee relied on for its casino ventures. Calling this a long shot would be an understatement, but my curiosity is peaked anyway. And I do wonder why they are not in NamUs as MP's....because you just never know....

 

[PawneeDew]

Can anybody post this up for me?? I've never posted, I'm afraid I will get it wrong...Missing Person Support Center

 

[HansNight2090]

Can anybody post this up for me?? I've never posted, I'm afraid I will get it wrong...Missing Person Support Center

Happy to, if someone has not done so already! Thank you for sharing this, important for NamUs to update this if the reporting agency hasn’t done so.

 

[Aurora90]

HELP! How do I title Canadian unidentified posts if they are not in Namus? How do I Title a missing persons post for this person for example? The Case references aren't as short as the DOE NETWORK or Namus profiles. Any tips?

Case View – Ontario's Missing Adults

 

[vandeeje]

I've been looking through UIDs and I see very few listed as Asian. How likely would it be that skeletal remains, especially pre-1980, are listed as white? I could also see the Asian community being hesitant to get involved with the police given the long proven history of racism in the US. I'm just not sure how easily MEs were able to tell the difference before science got this far.