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
• 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”.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Study
•
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.
1 Medical
Examiner and Coroners’ Offices, 2004: Hickman, Hughes,
Strom and Rupero-Miller.
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/meco04.pdf
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.
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”
www.NamUs.gov
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
NCIC Entries as of May 1, 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
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
www.NamUs.gov
www.FindTheMissing.org
www.FindTheMissing.org
www.IdentifyUs.org
www.ClaimUs.org
Regional System Administrators
Region 8:
Jerry Brown
817-240-9365
Jerry.Brown@unthsc.edu
Forensic Services Available
Through 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
19
Forensic Odontology
• Locating/acquiring
dental records
• Coding dentals for
NCIC and NamUs
entry
• Performing dental
comparisons
between missing
and unidentified
persons
NCIC and NamUs Dental Coding
Forensic Odontology
Dr. John Filippi
817-666-5424
John.Filippi@unthsc.edu
Forensic Odontology
Dr. Rich Scanlon
817-487-9645
Rich.Scanlon@unthsc.edu
Fingerprint Examination
• Locating/acquiring
fingerprint records
• Coding prints for
NCIC and NamUs
entry
• Facilitating fingerprint
database searches
• Performing fingerprint
comparisons
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:
1.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Criminal
Justice Information Services - Special
Processing Center (FBI-CJIS-SPC)
2.
Department of Homeland Security US-VISIT
Biometric Support Center (DHS-BSC)
FBI CJIS Special Processing Center
•
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice
Information Center’s Special Processing Center (FBI-CJISSPC) “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.
US-VISIT Database
Some Sources of BSC’s 100 Million+ Fingerprints:
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Known or Suspected Terrorists
• US Entries
Department of Defense Military
• Visa Applications
Operations
• Border Crossing Card
Wanted Persons
Applications
Deported felons
• Individuals Granted Asylum
International Criminals
• Refugees
Sex Offenders
• Border Patrol Entry/Exit
Aliens/Criminal History
Approximately 70% of the BSC
State/Local Criminals
fingerprints are not replicated in
Gangs
Expedited Removals
any other local, state or federal
Visa Denials
fingerprint database.
Recidivists/Alerts
NamUs Fingerprint Specialist
William “Bill” Bailey
817-456-0331
William.Bailey@unthsc.edu
Forensic Anthropology
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
Free Online DNA/CODIS Training
www.untfsu.com/onlinetraining.html
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
Daughter
Father
Son
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
Daughter
Father
Son
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
Daughter
Father
Son
Y-Chromosome (Y-STR) Profiles
Y-STR profiles are passed only to a MALE child and
only by the FATHER.
Mother
Daughter
Father
Son
Y-Chromosome (Y-STR) Profiles
All males
sharing the
same paternal
lineage will
share the same
Y-STR profile.
Missing
Person
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
mtDNA profiles are passed to MALE and FEMALE
children, but only from the MOTHER.
Mother
Daughter
Father
Son
Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Profiles
All females
sharing the
same maternal
lineage will
share the same
mtDNA profile.
Missing
Person
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 YSTRs and mtDNA profiles if closer blood relatives
are not available
CODIS Mito Laboratories
MN Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension
New York Office
of the Chief ME
California Dept of
Justice
Arizona Dept. of
Public Safety
New Jersey
State Police Lab
FBI
Virginia Dept. of
Forensic Sciences
UNT Center for Human ID
Family Reference Collection Kits
Collection kits contain:
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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
Family Reference Submission Paperwork
Family Reference Collection Kits
Kits can be ordered through the NamUs DNA screen or from:
MissingPersons@unthsc.edu
1-800-763-3147
The NamUs DNA Screen
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.
Project EDAN
NamUs Analytical Services
• Searches for
missing persons
• Locating next of
kin for death
notifications
• Locating
additional family
members for
DNA collections
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
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
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