Obstructions to matching the missing and UID -Q&A's/FAQ's only please!

[Giuc0]

Ok, I have a case when police gives UID's vital stats in metric & MP's stats are in imperial.

Now what?

 

[Giuc0]

Ok, I have a case when police gives UID's vital stats in metric & MP's stats are in imperial.

Now what?

 

[chaz]

Ok, I have a case when police gives UID's vital stats in metric & MP's stats are in imperial.

Now what?

Centimeters to Feet (cm to feet) conversion calculator
@Giuc0 , You can use this site to convert from one to another and back

 

[Giuc0]

Thank you

 

[Dylansmom08]

Looking at the unidentifieds I've noticed there are quite a few unidetntifieds that are only partial remains, some are just a skull or a few random bones found. How will they ever be matched to anyone with so little to go on? I find it really sad that so many may be going unmatched because of this.

 

[Dr. Nici Vance]

We are still able to process both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from skeletal material, especially teeth. This all depends on how degraded the skeletal material is; animals,time, weather, etc. can degrade human remains so that the DNA is hard to extract (bacteria, contamination, etc.) So, if only a skull is found, we focus on excising a whole tooth for DNA purposes. I currently have 163 unidentified persons from Oregon uploaded into the NamUs database. The vast majority of them are skeletal remains, and of those, I'd say 90% of them have full DNA profiles uploaded into the national CODIS database. I truly believe our disconnect with reconciling these cases and bringing families closure is 1. families haven't reported their loved ones missing to a law enforcement agency and/or 2. law enforcement hasn't approached families of missing persons to collect the missing person's dental records and DNA standards. I still hold out worlds of hope that these disconnects can disappear one day.

 

[Dr. Nici Vance]

I am sure this is a very dumb (and maybe obvious) question but I don't know where to find the answer nor ask the question! Is it always a guarantee that all NamUs cases (both MP and UP) have been cross-referenced for all identifiers available (fingerprints, DNA, dental)? So, once in their system, there is no chance there is a match waiting to be done? It sounds dumb as I ask!! It's a database so I am assuming this is true but is it always accurate?

Thank you!!

I can answer this question, although you may have already found the answer in the last 3 years...there is absolutely no guarantee that NamUs will automatically match a missing person to an unidentified person based on the information provided; that is done manually by an actual human being once a potential match is recognized and investigated. NamUs does not have a way to automatically search fingerprint or dental codes. NamUs employs forensic odontologists to confirm or exclude possible matches, but the matches must be found by us, the public and the professional users. As you can see in NamUs, there are some potential matches listed based solely on the information that's inputted into the NamUs UP or MP profile.
One thing to remember is that NamUs is a website in which missing persons and unidentified persons profiles are stored and added for comparison purposes. The University of North Texas is closely aligned with NamUs, as UNT's DNA lab does lots of work for many states throughout the nation who need DNA samples processed. NamUs and CODIS are not the same thing.
CODIS (Combined DNA Indexing System) is the national DNA database where all DNA profiles are uploaded and compared to each other on a weekly basis. NamUs does not store actual genetic profiles, it only notes whether or not the DNA profile has been completed and uploaded into CODIS.
As someone who has worked to identify skeletal remains for over 2 decades, I can tell you how frustrating it is to not have a "national dental records database" or a "national personal tattoo database", or a "national serial number on hip replacement database"...you name it. You'd think we could come together and compile that information to bring resolution to families, but databases like that just don't exist at the moment. I hope that helps. Keep up the searches and the good work!

 

[YaYa_521]

I can answer this question, although you may have already found the answer in the last 3 years...there is absolutely no guarantee that NamUs will automatically match a missing person to an unidentified person based on the information provided; that is done manually by an actual human being once a potential match is recognized and investigated. NamUs does not have a way to automatically search fingerprint or dental codes. NamUs employs forensic odontologists to confirm or exclude possible matches, but the matches must be found by us, the public and the professional users. As you can see in NamUs, there are some potential matches listed based solely on the information that's inputted into the NamUs UP or MP profile.
One thing to remember is that NamUs is a website in which missing persons and unidentified persons profiles are stored and added for comparison purposes. The University of North Texas is closely aligned with NamUs, as UNT's DNA lab does lots of work for many states throughout the nation who need DNA samples processed. NamUs and CODIS are not the same thing.
CODIS (Combined DNA Indexing System) is the national DNA database where all DNA profiles are uploaded and compared to each other on a weekly basis. NamUs does not store actual genetic profiles, it only notes whether or not the DNA profile has been completed and uploaded into CODIS.
As someone who has worked to identify skeletal remains for over 2 decades, I can tell you how frustrating it is to not have a "national dental records database" or a "national personal tattoo database", or a "national serial number on hip replacement database"...you name it. You'd think we could come together and compile that information to bring resolution to families, but databases like that just don't exist at the moment. I hope that helps. Keep up the searches and the good work!

Thank you very much for this detailed answer. It helps tremendously. I often find myself hesitant to contact NamUs reps because I convince myself that if the UID and MP are already in the system, they've been compared. I suppose I should re-trace my steps and start submitting potential matches. In your opinion and based on work with other MEs, is it better to submit potential matches through the NamUs system or should we submit directly to LE and MEs?

 

[Aurora90]

@CarlK90245 How does one find out which DNA type is on file?

Law Enforcement, the family, and sleuthers believe Mabel Andrews is this Jane Doe even though according to Orlando's medical office, dna excludes her. They still are inclined to believe it is her but can not rule her or or confirm her via dna. I have never seen something like this before.

 

[CarlK90245]

@CarlK90245 How does one find out which DNA type is on file?

Law Enforcement, the family, and sleuthers believe Mabel Andrews is this Jane Doe even though according to Orlando's medical office, dna excludes her. They still are inclined to believe it is her but can not rule her or or confirm her via dna. I have never seen something like this before.

That information used to be available in NamUs, but I don't think the DNA sample availability (and whether nuc, mtDNA, or both) is shown anymore.