This week, the New South Wales (Australia) Police Force launched a DNA collection pilot program in the hopes of finding answers to the 769 long-term missing persons cases plaguing the region. According to the agency, NSW has approximately 330 unidentified bodies or human remains cases.
Due to how old the missing persons cases are, investigators say there is limited opportunity to gather direct DNA—which is why they have now turned to familial DNA.
“The objective now is to collect familial DNA from the relatives of missing persons across the country to facilitate further inquiries and in the hopes of matching these samples, locate loved ones and provide answers to families,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Darren Bennett said.
The innovative program is another step the NSW Police Force has taken after a review of operations a few years ago focused on the abundance of missing persons cases. First, in July 2019, NSW established the Missing Persons Registry (MSR) and implemented new systems and procedures. Then, MSR reviewed all 769 long-term missing persons cases and identified lack of direct or familial DNA profiles as a significant roadblock to generating further investigative leads. So, the NSW Police Force collaborated with forensic experts from New South Wales Health Pathology to launch the Human Skeletal Remains Initiative, which developed direct DNA profiles for all 330 unidentified bodies and human remains in the police system.
Now, with as much missing persons’ DNA in the database as possible, the NSW Police Force hopes familial DNA from relatives will be the missing piece of the puzzle.
The Familial DNA Collection Pilot Program kicked off Monday with the establishment of two pop-up centers on the Mid North Coast where biological relatives of missing persons can go to provide a DNA sample. The familial DNA samples will then be uploaded into the Volunteer Limited Purpose Index, where they will be searched against the Unidentified Bodies Index. At the same time, interviews will be conducted with family members to capture further information that may assist investigators.
The NSW Police Force stressed that the familial DNA samples will only be compared against missing persons databases in Australia.
“The team at the Missing Persons Registry are determined to identify these remains and ensure they are safely returned to loved ones so they may finally be farewelled and put to rest,” Detective Inspector Glen Browne said.
DNA collection began on Monday and Tuesday with a brief break on Wednesday before the program concludes Thursday and Friday. The success of the program will heavy depend on how many relatives of missing persons come forward to provide a DNA sample.