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Overview of NamUs: The Databases, Personnel and Forensic Resources

Overview of NamUs: The Databases, Personnel and Forensic Resources. B.J. Spamer Director, Training and Analysis Division NamUs @ UNT Health Science Center Office: 817-735-5473 Email: BJ.Spamer@unthsc.edu. The Missing and Unidentified Problem.

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Overview of NamUs: The Databases, Personnel and Forensic Resources

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  1. Overview of NamUs:The Databases, Personnel and Forensic Resources • B.J. Spamer • Director, Training and Analysis Division • NamUs @ UNT Health Science Center • Office: 817-735-5473 • Email: BJ.Spamer@unthsc.edu

  2. The Missing and Unidentified Problem • On any given day in the United States, there are between 80,000 to 100,000 active missing person cases entered into NCIC. • Almost half of these cases have a date of last contact over one year ago – “cold cases”.

  3. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Study 1 Medical Examiner and Coroners’ Offices, 2004: Hickman, Hughes, Strom and Rupero-Miller. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/meco04.pdf For many years, the true extent of the unidentified decedent problem was unknown. In June 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics issued a report indicating that medical examiners, coroners and law enforcement agencies across the country held the remains of 13,486 unidentified decedents as of 2004.

  4. A Much Larger Problem Taking into account that many agencies retained no records on unidentified decedents, and that remains of many other decedents had been cremated or buried, some experts estimated the actual number of unidentified decedent cases across the country to be closer to 40,000.

  5. Silent Mass Disaster Over Time One thing is clear. Regardless what the true number of unidentified human decedents is in the United States, the missing and unidentified problem is truly our nation’s “Silent Mass Disaster”

  6. www.NamUs.gov

  7. The UNT Center for Human Identification • 3400 Camp Bowie Boulevard • Fort Worth, TX 76107 • 3 Divisions: • Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology • Laboratory for Molecular Identification • Forensic Services Unit / NamUs • Focus: • Missing and unidentified persons • Forensic casework for Texas agencies

  8. NCIC Entries as of May1, 2012 Missing Persons (MP) Active Colorado MP Cases: 1,052 Active Cases Nationwide: 85,184 Unidentified Persons (UP) Active Colorado UP Cases: 41 Active Cases Nationwide: 7,746

  9. NamUs Entries as of May 31, 2012 Missing Persons (MP) Active Colorado MP Cases: 132 Active Cases Nationwide: 7,495 Unidentified Persons (UP) Active Colorado UP Cases: 34 Active Cases Nationwide: 8,462

  10. www.NamUs.gov

  11. www.FindTheMissing.org

  12. www.FindTheMissing.org

  13. www.IdentifyUs.org

  14. www.ClaimUs.org

  15. Regional System Administrators Region 8: Jerry Brown 817-240-9365 Jerry.Brown@unthsc.edu

  16. Forensic Services AvailableThrough NamUs • Forensic Odontologists on staff • Fingerprint Examiner on staff • DNA analyses through the UNT Center for Human Identification’s Laboratory for Molecular Identification • Coordination with local, state and federal DNA laboratories across the country to affect comparisons • Forensic Anthropology through the UNT Center for Human Identification’s Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology

  17. Forensic Odontology • Locating/acquiring dental records • Coding dentals for NCIC and NamUs entry • Performing dental comparisons between missing and unidentified persons

  18. NCIC and NamUs Dental Coding

  19. Forensic Odontology Dr. John Filippi 817-666-5424 John.Filippi@unthsc.edu

  20. Forensic Odontology Dr. Rich Scanlon 817-487-9645 Rich.Scanlon@unthsc.edu

  21. Fingerprint Examination • Locating/acquiring fingerprint records • Coding prints for NCIC and NamUs entry • Facilitating fingerprint database searches • Performing fingerprint comparisons

  22. Fingerprint Databases • It is not sufficient to have your unidentified remains prints run only through your local or state fingerprint databases. • Prints should also be run through two federal agencies: • Federal Bureau of Investigation - Criminal Justice Information Services - Special Processing Center (FBI-CJIS-SPC) • Department of Homeland Security US-VISIT Biometric Support Center (DHS-BSC)

  23. FBI CJIS Special Processing Center • The Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information Center’s Special Processing Center (FBI-CJIS-SPC) “contains approximately 66 million criminal fingerprint records that can be searched electronically in its Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and approximately 30 million civil and military fingerprints records that can be searched manually”. • For more information on the CJIS-SPC, visit: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis • Source: Mulawka, M. and Craig, J. “The Efficacy of Submitting Fingerprints of Unidentified Remains to Federal Agencies”. Journal of Forensic Identification, 92/61 (1), 2011.

  24. US-VISIT Database • Some Sources of BSC’s 100 Million+ Fingerprints: • Known or Suspected Terrorists • Department of Defense Military Operations • Wanted Persons • Deported felons • International Criminals • Sex Offenders • Aliens/Criminal History • State/Local Criminals • Gangs • Expedited Removals • Visa Denials • Recidivists/Alerts • US Entries • Visa Applications • Border Crossing Card Applications • Individuals Granted Asylum • Refugees • Border Patrol Entry/Exit Approximately 70% of the BSC fingerprints are not replicated in any other local, state or federal fingerprint database.

  25. NamUs Fingerprint Specialist William “Bill” Bailey 817-456-0331 William.Bailey@unthsc.edu

  26. Forensic Anthropology

  27. DNA Profiles Used in MP and UP Cases Three types of profiles used in missing and unidentified person investigations: • STR Profiles • Short Tandem Repeats • Also commonly referred to as “Nuclear” DNA profiles • Y-STR Profiles • Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats • Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Profiles

  28. Free Online DNA/CODIS Training www.untfsu.com/onlinetraining.html

  29. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Profiles STR profiles (also called NUCLEAR DNA PROFILES) are passed down to a child by both the mother and father – 50% from each parent. Mother Father Daughter Son

  30. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Profiles STR profiles (also called NUCLEAR DNA PROFILES) are passed down to a child by both the mother and father – 50% from each parent. Mother Father Daughter Son

  31. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Profiles STR profiles (also called NUCLEAR DNA PROFILES) are passed down to a child by both the mother and father – 50% from each parent. Mother Father Daughter Son

  32. Y-Chromosome (Y-STR) Profiles Y-STR profiles are passed only to a MALE child and only by the FATHER. Mother Father Daughter Son

  33. Y-Chromosome (Y-STR) Profiles All males sharing the same paternal lineage will share the same Y-STR profile. Missing Person

  34. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mtDNA profiles are passed to MALE and FEMALE children, but only from the MOTHER. Mother Father Daughter Son

  35. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Profiles All females sharing the same maternal lineage will share the same mtDNA profile. Missing Person

  36. From Whom To Collect DNA Samples You must collect AT LEAST TWO family reference samples for proper CODIS searching to take place: • Mother • Father • Offspring of Missing Person • Collect second parent to exclude their STR profile • Full Sibling • Half Sibling • Consider grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. for Y-STRs and mtDNA profiles if closer blood relatives are not available

  37. CODIS Mito Laboratories MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension New York Office of the Chief ME New Jersey State Police Lab California Dept of Justice FBI Virginia Dept. of Forensic Sciences Arizona Dept. of Public Safety UNT Center for Human ID

  38. Family Reference Collection Kits • Collection kits contain: • Chain of custody form • Consent form • Relationship of DNA donor • Fax-Back form • Latex gloves • Buccal swab collectors • Postage-paid return envelope • These materials ensure proper documentation, collection, and chain of custody on each collected sample

  39. Family Reference Submission Paperwork

  40. Family Reference Collection Kits Kits can be ordered through the NamUs DNA screen or from: MissingPersons@unthsc.edu 1-800-763-3147

  41. The NamUs DNA Screen

  42. Forensic Art • Forensic Art is another investigative tool that can assist with both missing and unidentified person cases: • Facial reconstructions draw more public attention to an unidentified remains case.

  43. Project EDAN

  44. NamUs Analytical Services • Searches for missing persons • Locating next of kin for death notifications • Locating additional family members for DNA collections

  45. ViCAP • An analyst from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) serves as a full-time liaison between ViCAP and NamUs to: • Review missing and unidentified person cases marked “foul play suspected” for possible referral to ViCAP for more in-depth analysis • Cross-pollinate missing and unidentified person cases • Coordinate additional ViCAP resources

  46. NamUs Analysts Missing Person Searches: Dustin Driscoll 817-240-4106 Dustin.Driscoll@unthsc.edu ViCAP Analysis: Sue Stiltner 817-487-9970 Suzanne.Stiltner@unthsc.edu

  47. Contact Information • B.J. Spamer • Director, Training and Analysis Division • NamUs @ UNT Health Science Center • Office: 817-735-5473 • Email: BJ.Spamer@unthsc.edu www.NamUs.gov www.UNTFSU.com

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