The national missing and unidentified persons system; from inception to present day
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Authors
O'Brien, Elizabeth H.
Issue Date
2013
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic sciences
Alternative Title
Abstract
The 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was one of this nation’s most highly publicized and analyzed mass disasters. However, the public is generally unaware that there are over 100,000 missing persons (MP), 40,000 unidentified persons remains (UP) and above 400 unclaimed persons (UCP) in the U.S. These numbers, when thought of as a single event rather than as individual events, create a mass disaster greater than 45 times the attack on the World Trade Center. Because these are not thought of as a single event, many people may not realize the magnitude of the problem. The following study is the story of the National Institute of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, referred to as NamUs. Since the inception of NamUs in 2005 law enforcement and citizen awareness of this incremental disaster has increased. This study incluces an historical analysis presenting the need for a centralized and automated crosschecking site for match queries related to both cold and active cases. The federal government’s legislative efforts through the introduction of bills in Congress are included. The government’s official acknowledgement of NamUs’ existence, permanent funding allocation, and mandated sharing of case information between NamUs and the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases are addressed in the legislation. Statistics and exemplars of NamUs active and resolved cases are supplied to show the positive impact of NamUs in case solving. Finally, this study proposes the exploitation of genealogical searches to assist in expanding the capability of solving MP, UP, and UCP cases. Regardless of whether a loss occurs as a single event or as part of a major disaster, each missing or unidentified person represents a grieving family.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is a right of everyone to have an identity as a person before the law. Many have taken on the duty to secure that right.