Cold Case Project | Using Forensic Genealogy for Identification

ATLANTA, GA (WJBF) – Have you ever wondered what happens when someone discovers human remains? who is it? Where did that person come from? The process required to identify someone varies. The missing person may be among those who need to be named using technology and DNA.

“We have a very high success rate in helping families find their loved ones,” said Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen.

When someone is killed and left dead for a long time, identifying that person requires effort. Bowen told The Cold Case Project that he receives only a handful of human remains each year.

“If it’s a body and fingerprints can be taken, we will take fingerprints. We have fingerprint scanners. (That’s your first step?) That’s the first step, see if we can get a good print,” Bowen said.

Sometimes electronic devices can identify victims in as little as two minutes. If not, raw ink and roll fingerprints come into play, all of which are used via AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System). Teeth can also be used, but only if there are guide wires.

“We have to have a name to get dental records. If we have nothing to go on, then it’s usually a dead end,” he shared.

Bowen’s last attempt at naming the body was DNA.

“We do mouth swabs,” he explained. “Wipe your mouth. We package them up and get them to the GBI as quickly as possible so they can start DNA processing.”

Our cameras arrive at the GBI and its crime lab, which we often refer to in our murder stories. Ashley Garish introduces us to an unidentified body that has been medically treated and reduced to bones.

“We do have teeth. We do have some dental work here, and if we have a potential missing person that we want to try to match or rule out, we’ll be able to look at that. We can do X-rays and we can check the teeth. location,” said Garrish, director of medical operations for the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office. “If our anthropologists study this case, they might be able to estimate height by looking at the femur. They can try to tell us whether it’s a male or a female by looking at the pelvis, the skull, different things. Approximate age, so we can Missing people can be found.”

Bowen and more than 150 coroners in Georgia send at least 100 unidentified bodies or bones to Garrish and her team at the GBI every year. Perform an autopsy. Forensic examiners examine the patient’s condition, fingerprints, dental and surgical history. But now, law enforcement is increasingly turning to DNA. Aside from being DNA depleted or having no family members, it helps.

“Sometimes we get a call from a family member about a missing person. That information is logged. We check it against any of our UIDs and currently we have to see if there are any matches that are unidentified. Then if we Failing to do so, we will retain this information in case any new cases arise. We always recommend that families go to NamUS (National Missing Persons System) where the missing person can be placed so that they can continue to receive help. For unidentified remains Conduct a search.”

The Cold Case Project provides annual reports on missing persons status. We know there’s more to the CSRA. We looked at NamUS. The system has 18 missing persons in Richmond County, Georgia. There were eight in Aiken County, South Carolina. But in 2018 a new technology emerged: forensic genetic genealogy. The National Institutes of Health reports that the investigative tool helps solve cold cases using advanced DNA and genealogy research.

“It provides clues to law enforcement because it can identify family members or just last names so they have a place to start looking,” Garish said.

The GBI collaborates with Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy laboratory near Houston, Texas. The discovery of the body of 26-year-old Chong Un Kim in October 1988 in Jenkins County was crucial to his identification.

“We tested the blanket with some of her DNA transferred to it,” said Dr. Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer of Othram. “We were able to construct a DNA profile.

The genealogy also helped law enforcement identify King’s sister and learn the family lived in Liberty County, Georgia. While several labs around the country use FGG, Othram has solved hundreds of cases, including the 1988 murder of 5-year-old Baby Jane Doe in Georgia.

“Our doctors always say we give a voice to people who are no longer alive because they can’t speak for themselves,” Garish said.

Anyone still hoping to find a missing person should add them to NamU if they are not already there. What does the family and law enforcement need to bring justice and closure to this case.

Photojournalist: Regynal McKie and Gary Hipps