Project Overview
Speaker: Narrator
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), there are currently more than 25,000 open missing person cases and more than 15,000 unidentified human remains cases in the United States.
In 2024, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) launched a program to assist in identifying human remains recovered in the state of Alabama. This program uses DNA technology to develop investigative leads.
How DNA Identification Works
When traditional identification methods—such as visual identification, fingerprint analysis, and dental record comparison—are not possible or are unsuccessful, DNA technology may be used.
A DNA profile can be developed from human remains. This profile is searched in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is a national database.
The purpose of this search is to identify possible matches to:
- Convicted offenders
- Arrested individuals
- Biological relatives
If a match is not found in CODIS, a method called forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) may be used to generate investigative leads.
These leads must be confirmed through additional testing using nuclear DNA analysis with short tandem repeats (STRs).
Project Goals
- Conduct an inventory of unidentified human remains located in ADFS morgues.
- Perform nuclear DNA testing on these remains and search the results in CODIS.
- Use forensic investigative genetic genealogy for cases that do not result in a CODIS match.
Project Progress
Inventory of Human Remains
The first goal has been completed. Approximately 150 unidentified human remains have been inventoried. Of these, 22 are confirmed homicide victims.
Many of these remains were recovered in the 1970s and 1980s, before DNA technology was widely used in forensic science and before CODIS was established.
DNA Testing and CODIS Searches
For the second goal, nuclear DNA testing has been completed on 42 cases. These cases have been searched in CODIS.
One case resulted in a match to a convicted offender sample. This match led to a confirmed identification.
Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy
For the third goal, 18 cases that did not produce a CODIS match underwent forensic investigative genetic genealogy.
Investigative leads were developed in two of these cases. Both leads were confirmed using nuclear DNA testing, resulting in the identification of two additional individuals.
Conclusion
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is committed to using modern forensic technologies to assist in the identification of human remains and to help provide closure to families.