namus - why it matters to illinois
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
1/23
National Missing andUnidentified Persons System
NamUs Training Academy
Illinois State TeamJuly 21, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
2/23
IL law Public Act 095-0192 Aug 2007
Law enforcement cannot refuse to take a missingpersons report due to the fact that the missing personis an adult
More comprehensive training and education for lawenforcement agencies involved in missing personscases and unidentified human remains cases
Free collection, analysis and entry into CODIS of family
DNA reference samples in Missing Persons casesContinuing federal funding for DNA testing and thecombined DNA index system
Subject to appropriations
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
3/23
Illinois Statistics in NCIC (as of 06/30/2010)
Missing Persons
717 under 18 years of age 1294 over 18 years of age
Cases >90 days: 1385
Unidentified Persons
139
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
4/23
ISP Missing Persons Clearinghouse
53,000 MP cases reported in FY2009
At any given time, ~3,200 pending cases
~96% are recovered still leaves ~130 unresolved MP cases at any
given time
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
5/23
What is NamUs?
FREE web-based tool www.namus.gov
Accessible to everyone, but geared to: families of missing persons
law enforcement
medical examiners/coroners
victim advocates
http://www.namus.gov/http://www.namus.gov/ -
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
6/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
7/23
Who can use NamUs?
Public
victims families
victims advocates
concerned citizens
Law Enforcement Officers
Medical Examiners/Coroners
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
8/23
Missing Persons - Public
Anyone can register a missing person
and search the NamUs MP database
Not-for-profit organizations have access
to NamUs
Victims families and advocates
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
9/23
Case Solved by the Public
Missing Persons Matched with Unidentified Remains:
Name: Sonia Lente
NamUs case #: UID#2726 and MP#597
Person Missing: October 03, 2002
Body Found: 2004
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Body Identified: June, 2009
In June, a citizen searching NamUs noticed a possible match between a woman who had been missingsince 2002 and an unidentified body found near Albuquerque two years later. Although authorities
initially thought the cases might be the same person, a DNA test was not close enough to make adefinitive match and the case grew cold. When the citizen cyber-sleuth saw a potential match inNamUs, she alerted the NamUs contact. A forensic odontologist, available through NamUs to assistjurisdictions free of charge assisted in the identification of remains. Two days later, the family ofwoman who had been missing for over six years was notified that their loved ones remains had finallybeen identified.
NamUs Role: NamUs allowed a private citizen to access information through a single system,where records from across the nation are now stored in one place. Providing public access to the datawas critical to the success of solving the Sonia Lente case.
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
10/23
Missing Persons - Law Enforcement
LEOs can enter and update informationthemselves
Can measure the quality of the informationthemselves
Can monitor possible matches on a daily basis
Can decide whether the public can view certaininformation
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
11/23
Case Solved by Law Enforcement
Name: Luis Fernandez
NamUs case #: MP #1768
UP #1870
Person Missing: July 2007
Body Found: December 3, 2007
Location: Ringgold County, Iowa
Body Identified: January 11, 2010
In July 2007 Luis Fernandez went missing in Omaha, NE. His family reported him missing in June 2008.Fernandezs case was entered into NamUs in March 2009 after Officer Jim Shields of the Omaha PoliceDepartment learned about NamUs at a conference at the University of North Texas Center for HumanIdentification. On April 6, 2009 a civilian from Iowa contacted Officer Shields and alerted him of a possiblematch between Luis Fernandez MP #1768 and UP #1870 The ME in Ringgold County, Iowa was pulledinto the case and began comparing dental records, which were ultimately inconclusive. The DNA processbegan and family reference samples were taken from Fernandezs family members. On January 11, 2010the UP in Iowa was positively identified as Luis Fernandez.
NamUs Role: A law enforcement officer entered his missing person cases into NamUs in hopes ofobtaining leads on some of his cold cases. Because a coroner in another state had also used the system onthe unidentified remains side, the two agencies were able to identify Luis Fernandez.
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
12/23
Unidentified Persons - ME/Coroner
ME/C can enter and update UID informationthemselves
Can monitor possible matches on a dailybasis
Can give your own forensic specialistsaccess to the site to review cases
Free access to NamUs forensic specialistsfor consultation
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
13/23
Groups in IL that are already using NamUs (asof July 2010)
Unidentified Decedent Database (18 cases)
Will County Coroners Office
Cook County ME Office
Kankakee County Coroners Office
Missing Persons Database (70 cases)
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
14/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
15/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
16/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
17/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
18/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
19/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
20/23
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
21/23
Advantages of NamUs
Accessibility / User-friendly
Web-based / no specialized software
Automated searches between MP and UPdatabases
Images/Documents can be uploaded (tattoos,
jewelry, pictures, dental radiographs, x-rays,etc.)
Ability to exclude non-matches (NCIC will notlet you do this!)
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
22/23
Cost
FREE
Free DNA kits and analysis if youre inNamUs
Free access to forensic specialists:
Pathology
Odontology
Anthropology
Fingerprints
-
8/9/2019 NAMUS - Why It Matters To Illinois
23/23
www.namus.gov
Illinois State Team Contact Information Cinda Lubich Missing Persons Clearinghouse, ISP
1 (800) 843-5763 [email protected] Barbara Lamacki Victim Advocate
(630) 215-9777 [email protected]
Det. Brady Bertrand Law Enforcement
(815) 802-7159 [email protected] Duane Northrup Coroner
(217) 384-3888 [email protected]
Jamie Lynn Edwards Forensic Specialist
(815) 740-3543 [email protected]
http://www.namus.gov/http://www.namus.gov/