DNA Doe Project - General Discussion

[leilarose68]

I tried to contact the IA investigating the Richmond Jane Doe from 1981 and they said they may be interested, but that was back in July. I just wasn't sure how long the paperwork may take or if its most likely they changed their minds.

You could always ask DDP about the case, sometimes they'll tell people if they've talked to an agency about a certain Doe.

 

[ntt1]

You could always ask DDP about the case, sometimes they'll tell people if they've talked to an agency about a certain Doe.

In this recent article they state there are 70 cases more in the pipeline (and 40 solved).... I wonder how many if any of the most suggested cases are in the pipeline or undergoing extraction. I think it can take months from first contact until a Doe goes into the system.

John Doe found more than 20 years ago in Great Miami River identified

 

[djanga]

In this recent article they state there are 70 cases more in the pipeline (and 40 solved).... I wonder how many if any of the most suggested cases are in the pipeline or undergoing extraction. I think it can take months from first contact until a Doe goes into the system.

John Doe found more than 20 years ago in Great Miami River identified

I think that the problem with cold cases is that DNA is not always available.

DDP has solved more than 40 cases and there are 28 official announcements, so, at least 12 other cases are solved. And according to Margaret with all the cases which are in sequencing they will soon have about 50 active cases on the daily basis.

 

[doggybag2355]

I think that the problem with cold cases is that DNA is not always available.

DDP has solved more than 40 cases and there are 28 official announcements, so, at least 12 other cases are solved. And according to Margaret with all the cases which are in sequencing they will soon have about 50 active cases on the daily basis.

The whole 40 cases thing always confuses me now. I remember Margaret saying they had solved 30, and it seems just one article mentioned 40. I wonder if it was a typo.

 

[djanga]

The whole 40 cases thing always confuses me now. I remember Margaret saying they had solved 30, and it seems just one article mentioned 40. I wonder if it was a typo.

She said 30 cases solved in a comment back in the beginning of April, I assume they solved more cases in the last few months, so now it is more than 40. I think I saw it in a few places now.

 

[doggybag2355]

She said 30 cases solved in a comment back in the beginning of April, I assume they solved more cases in the last few months, so now it is more than 40. I think I saw it in a few places now.

Oh that makes more sense, I thought that statement was only made about a month or two ago.

 

[djanga]

Here it is 14th of April Margaret wrote:
“Thank you Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody for supporting DNA Doe Project and the campaign to opt in! Your department has been terrific to work with. We believe in informed consent before you test, upload and opt-in, but thanks to those who have done so DDP has been able to return 30 previously unidentified victims to their families”.

So, it was in April.

 

[ntt1]

I think that the problem with cold cases is that DNA is not always available.

DDP has solved more than 40 cases and there are 28 official announcements, so, at least 12 other cases are solved. And according to Margaret with all the cases which are in sequencing they will soon have about 50 active cases on the daily basis.

Yeah, I suspect that's a problem. I do remember a post in the past where they stated that cases aren't posted to the pending list until DNA extraction is successful.

It does seem like extraction techniques are rapidly advancing though so hopefully lots of these cases will soon have a chance.

 

[doggybag2355]

It does make me curious of who else is identified now. I know they said that they put DNA on FamilyTreeDNA and usually get higher results, which aren't showed on the spreadsheet.

I also heard Ancestry is starting to do DNA kits

 

[djanga]

It does make me curious of who else is identified now. I know they said that they put DNA on FamilyTreeDNA and usually get higher results, which aren't showed on the spreadsheet.

I also heard Ancestry is starting to do DNA kits

Yes, I am very curious too, but in the end we just have to be patient. Also, there are cases which are solved fast, may be in a few hours or few days and there are other cases which require a lot of work and research. So, each time new cases pass to the research phase, there is a possibility some cases will be solved fast.

I did not know that Ancestry started to do the DNA kits, but did they change their rules and now Les can use their database?

 

[doggybag2355]

Yes, I am very curious too, but in the end we just have to be patient. Also, there are cases which are solved fast, may be in a few hours or few days and there are other cases which require a lot of work and research. So, each time new cases pass to the research phase, there is a possibility some cases will be solved fast.

I did not know that Ancestry started to do the DNA kits, but did they change their rules and now Les can use their database?

Oh I"m not sure about that, I just saw that they're starting to do DNA kits: AncestryDNA® | DNA Tests for Ethnicity & Genealogy DNA Test

 

[doggybag2355]

It seems like Trabuco Canyon John Doe's image on NCMEC has been updated to show more Hispanic characteristics:

 

[djanga]

It seems like Trabuco Canyon John Doe's image on NCMEC has been updated to show more Hispanic characteristics:

They also put the update on their facebook page:
“NEW INFORMATION

On December 13, 1996, skeletal remains of an unidentified male were found in #TrabucoCanyon, #California (#OrangeCounty). The John Doe is believed to have been between 15 and 19 years of age.

Investigative Genetic Genealogy conducted by the DNA Doe Project has revealed this individual and/or his relatives are likely from a remote area of Latin America.

The facial reconstruction has been updated to reflect the likely Hispanic ancestry.

Anyone with information that could lead to his identification should contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA“

 

[djanga]

There are a few new active cases (genealogical research in progress) are: Barn John Doe 2004 (TX), Charlotte-Mecklenburg 2008 (NC) and Jackson Co John Doe 1978 (WI), Leflore Co Jane Doe (OK).

 

[leilarose68]

LeFlore County Jane Doe (Oklahoma) is now a DDP Fund case. Please consider donating if you can:

Leflore County Jane Doe 1990 - DNA Doe Project Cases

 

[doggybag2355]

Seems like Kings County Jane Doe and Ventura County Jane Doe have had slight jumps in length with this update.

 

[djanga]

Seems like Kings County Jane Doe and Ventura County Jane Doe have had slight jumps in length with this update.

And Marion county (Flathead) John Doe has one more match over 40 and also 1 more match with family tree.

 

[djanga]

Also lovely people from DDP posted a clarification of case statuses, so it was not a typo and around 40 are solved:

We have often been asked about the different categories or statuses we assign our cases. We have three major categories in our pinned post here and on our website at Cases Archive - DNA Doe Project Cases

-- PENDING CASES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Undergoing testing”)

As we explain in that section, a case is considered pending if it is undergoing extraction, DNA sequencing, or bioinformatics. We refer to these cases as being “in our pipeline.” The agency has enlisted our help and has shipped something to one of the labs we work with.

-- ACTIVE CASES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Research in progress”)

A case is active once the DNA has finished sequencing, a GEDmatch kit has been created for it, and it has been uploaded for our team to work on using genetic genealogy.

-- SUCCESS STORIES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Identified”)

The cases listed in this section are ones which have been solved, either through the hard work and dedication of our team of volunteers, or by other means after the case is in our pipeline.

In addition, on our website we keep cases under the -- DDP FUND CASES -- section if we are soliciting donations to cover the lab fees where agencies lack the resources to do so. We leave the PayPal buttons up for them until the goals are reached, regardless of the actual status of the case. Thanks to the generosity of all our wonderful donors, we have enough of a cushion that we no longer delay lab testing while the fundraising is ongoing.

There is one more category -- ON HOLD -- . In these instances, every case is different. Some have had problems obtaining sufficient DNA to proceed, so are waiting for newer technology to become available or they are otherwise sidelined. Very rarely, an agency chooses to transfer their case elsewhere. They are entirely within their rights to do so, even when our donors have covered all the costs for them.

We wait a long time before removing cases from our On Hold list altogether, since there is always a chance they could return to DDP’s pipeline.

A final note about Success Stories: to date we have publicly announced that 28 cases have now been identified. In fact, the actual number is closer to 40. There are a number of reasons for this discrepancy. We have worked on a small number of cases under strict confidentiality at the agency’s request. Several others await confirmation through testing of close family members. Depending on how that testing is done, this can (currently) take many months. Due to the pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions and concerns for the safety of the investigators, there are additional cases where families have yet to be notified. Understandably, most agencies want to do this in person and often travel halfway across the country to do so.

So as much as we’d like to share our success stories as soon as they occur, particularly where so many of you have donated or have spent your own time trying to match our Does with missing persons, we have to let the investigators do their job. We also want to respect the needs of the families as they make arrangements and acknowledge the pain they are enduring. We expect to be making several new announcements as soon as we are able.

 

[doggybag2355]

Also lovely people from DDP posted a clarification of case statuses, so it was not a typo and around 40 are solved:

We have often been asked about the different categories or statuses we assign our cases. We have three major categories in our pinned post here and on our website at Cases Archive - DNA Doe Project Cases

-- PENDING CASES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Undergoing testing”)

As we explain in that section, a case is considered pending if it is undergoing extraction, DNA sequencing, or bioinformatics. We refer to these cases as being “in our pipeline.” The agency has enlisted our help and has shipped something to one of the labs we work with.

-- ACTIVE CASES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Research in progress”)

A case is active once the DNA has finished sequencing, a GEDmatch kit has been created for it, and it has been uploaded for our team to work on using genetic genealogy.

-- SUCCESS STORIES -- (the status on each case page is stated as “Identified”)

The cases listed in this section are ones which have been solved, either through the hard work and dedication of our team of volunteers, or by other means after the case is in our pipeline.

In addition, on our website we keep cases under the -- DDP FUND CASES -- section if we are soliciting donations to cover the lab fees where agencies lack the resources to do so. We leave the PayPal buttons up for them until the goals are reached, regardless of the actual status of the case. Thanks to the generosity of all our wonderful donors, we have enough of a cushion that we no longer delay lab testing while the fundraising is ongoing.

There is one more category -- ON HOLD -- . In these instances, every case is different. Some have had problems obtaining sufficient DNA to proceed, so are waiting for newer technology to become available or they are otherwise sidelined. Very rarely, an agency chooses to transfer their case elsewhere. They are entirely within their rights to do so, even when our donors have covered all the costs for them.

We wait a long time before removing cases from our On Hold list altogether, since there is always a chance they could return to DDP’s pipeline.

A final note about Success Stories: to date we have publicly announced that 28 cases have now been identified. In fact, the actual number is closer to 40. There are a number of reasons for this discrepancy. We have worked on a small number of cases under strict confidentiality at the agency’s request. Several others await confirmation through testing of close family members. Depending on how that testing is done, this can (currently) take many months. Due to the pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions and concerns for the safety of the investigators, there are additional cases where families have yet to be notified. Understandably, most agencies want to do this in person and often travel halfway across the country to do so.

So as much as we’d like to share our success stories as soon as they occur, particularly where so many of you have donated or have spent your own time trying to match our Does with missing persons, we have to let the investigators do their job. We also want to respect the needs of the families as they make arrangements and acknowledge the pain they are enduring. We expect to be making several new announcements as soon as we are able.

That might mean that the two does from Snohomish County are completely out of the DDP's pipeline, due to them not being listed on their site.

 

[doggybag2355]

Marion County John Doe (1989) is now (finally) in the research phase.