Join us May 31st at 6pm in Coconut Grove!

Sunday May 31st, the South Florida community is invited to attend a candlelight vigil and silent march in memory of Lilly Aramburo, a young mother missing from Miami since 2007. Beginning at 6pm (Eastern time), Lilly Aramburo’s mother, Lucely will lead the crowd in a Justice for Lilly silent march in front of the house it is believed Lily may have lost her life.

Posted under missing person

Gone Without a Trace

The Disappearance of South Florida mother, Lucely “Lily” Aramburo has left her family and friends devastated. Although it’s been almost 2 years, since she’s been gone, she is not forgotten. Lilly was a very good friend. I miss her dearly.

Lilly Aramburo was 23 when she disappeared in June 2007.  She was last seen leaving her boyfriend’s condo, located in the Kendall area of Miami, Florida. Lilly’s boyfriend called her family the next evening at 2am after reporting her missing to Miami Dade Police. There are a lot of questions and very few answers.  Needless to say, Lilly’s case remains unsolved.

A candlelight vigil and silent march is being planned for the 2nd year anniversary of Lilly’s disappearance. It will take place at the end of May in Coconut Grove, Florida.  I will keep you updated as more info becomes available.

If you live in the South Florida area,  consider showing your support by attending the vigil and silent march.  If you use Facebook, please RSVP here.

Posted under activism, missing mother, missing person

The Justice Department has unveiled a computer database that will help families locate the bodies of lost loved ones.  Families, law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and coroners, victim advocates, and the general public are encouraged to register their missing loved ones with The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the first national repository for missing persons and unidentified decedent records.

Read more about NamUs in the article below by CBS’ Erin Moriarty called “Justice Dept. Service Is Designed To Help Relatives Find Missing Loved Ones”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/16/earlyshow/main4804584.shtml

Posted under missing persons

Want this badge?

Who would you turn to if your loved one went missing? The Police? The mainstream media? If that was your answer you have a rude awakening coming to you. Police departments are either way too understaffed, un-educated or just focusing on high profile cases. If your missing loved one was over the age of 18, police may say they have every right to “disappear”. And the media, you can forget about it, unless your loved one falls into a certain category like Caylee Anthony or Natalie Hollaway, then you’re probably not going to have any luck getting any attention or help from them.

Thankfully, for 15 years there has been the National Center for Missing Adults. The NCMA is a division of the Nation’s Missing Children Organization, Inc. (NMCO) a 501c(3) non-profit organization, formally established after the passage of Kristen’s Law (H.R. 2780) by the United States Congress on October 26th, 2000. The NCMA operates as the national clearinghouse for missing adults, providing services and coordination between various government agencies, law enforcement, media, and families of missing adults. NCMA also maintains a national database of thousands of missing adults determined to be “endangered” or otherwise at-risk in the US. But not for long.

Since 2005, NCMA has been waiting for Congress to reauthorize Kristen’s Act to provide the funding so crucially needed to continue its work. Due to its failure, the country’s only national clearinghouse and missing adult database is in such extreme distress some believe only a miracle can save it. NCMA founder, Kym Pasqualini and her small staff of less than 5 volunteers, have kept the agency alive despite many difficulties including critical shortage and loss of funding, in 2006 they were

“financially forced to vacate and close the doors of the facility they had operated from for nearly ten years“

and going 2 years without pay and mounting debt, in order to continue providing services to those in need. Time is dangerously close to running out for NCMA. To make matters even graver still, Kym (a single mother) is facing eviction.

This doesn’t seem right to me. Not for anyone but especially not for Kym and the National Center for Missing Adults! The loss of the NCMA would mean no more support for families of the missing!

How can this happen?

Days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast region, Bureau of Justice Assistance; United States Department of Justice (DOJ) requested the immediate assistance of the National Center for Missing Adults. In the weeks following, NCMA received 13,502 reports related to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, in addition to cases normally registered with the agency involving missing adults who are determined by the investigating law enforcement agency to be “at risk” due to diminished mental capacity, physical disability, medical conditions, suspected foul play or suspicious circumstances of the disappearance. NCMA resolved 99.8% of all reports with costs to the agency in excess of $250,000 and depleted the agency’s non-federal reserve of funds. NCMA has only received $50,000 to cover the work they did at the request of the Dept. of Justice. The DOJ still hasn’t released the funds owed to the NCMA for their work related to Hurricane Katrina.

We cannot allow this valuable resource to die.

I feel strongly about this as my own friend, Lily Aramburo, went missing and has been gone for almost 2 years now. Following Lily’s disappearance, I contacted NCMA. Tanya, the volunteer who assisted us, was working from home on these cases because of the agency’s funding situation. Despite these obstacles, she was comforting, professional and understanding. She was steadfast in her efforts contacting law enforcement in order to get Lilly’s case confirmed and didn’t stop until she finally succeeded. I’ve had the privilege of working with Kym and her faithful team of volunteers. I admire them for their selfless efforts on behalf of our missing loved ones and the families who are left behind, searching for them.

My goal is to show Kym that people do care, we recognize their work is valuable. The NCMA doesn’t need to wait for a MIRACLE…

It’s within our power to save the National Center for Missing Adults. I urge you to stand with me and help in any way you possibly can. What can you do to help, you ask?

First and foremost they need money! Click on the FirstGiving fundraising widget below and visit my NCMA Fundraising Page Tax-deductible donations can be made online safely and securely through FirstGiving.

The NCMA accepts donations on their website as well. You can give as little as $5 using Google Checkout. Or if you prefer to send a check directly to NCMA, please mail to:

National Center for Missing Adults
PO Box 6389
Glendale, AZ 85312 US

If you commit to giving just $5 (the cost of a Starbucks coffee) we would be that much closer to achieving the goal.

If you can’t give money, no problem. Maybe someone you know can. Share this post via your email list and IM.

Do you use Twitter?

Follow the NCMA! Share this post and ask your friends and followers to retweet it (Join the NCMA RT RALLY starting NOW!).

Are you on Facebook, Myspace, Ning, or other social networking sites?

On Facebook, support the NCMA by setting your status to display a short message with a link to this post. Join the NCMA Facebook Group and invite everyone you know. Use your social networks to spread the word!
You can get your very own fundraising widget or badge to add on your profile and encourage others to do the same.

Do you have a blog or website?

There are several ways to help by using your blog/website:
1. Place the FirstGiving Fundraising Widget or badge on your site
2. Take a few minutes to write a post about the crisis, link to this and include the NCMA donation page
3. Add the NCMA badge on your site

I hope you take this opportunity to turn your compassion into action. Help save the National Center for Missing Adults and prevent thousands of families from being negatively affected.

Here’s an article about Kym Pasqualini and NCMA recently published in the Phoenix Times, “The National Center for Missing Adults’ Funding Was Slashed by the Feds, but Volunteers Are Keeping It Alive” By Sarah Fenske.

Don’t forget to bookmark, Stumble and share this post far and wide! RT on Twitter! Link to post! Get the widget, get the badge, share on your social networks and most importantly, GIVE GENEROUSLY & SPREAD THE WORD!

Posted under advocacy, legislation, missing persons, non-profit, resources

Believe or not, in the US,  there is no National Protocol for law enforcement to follow in missing person cases. If we did, we probably wouldn’t have so many unidentified persons and the likelihood of finding missing people would be much improved. Not only that but police would be forced to follow the same guidelines throughout the country. In my opinion,  we should be treating every missing person case as a homicide until we learn otherwise. Unfortunately, law enforcement agencies don’t always do the right thing and often times families are forced to deal with bureaucracy and red tape. Many fail to submit fingerprints, dental records, or DNA for the missing person. This can be prevented.

Read about and vote for National Protocol in Missing and Unidentified Person Cases submitted by Kelly Jolkowski (President and Founder of Project Jason) on Change.org. The legislation provides law enforcement with a check list of information to acquire from the family of the missing person, databases and other resources to utilize, such as DNA analysis, and the new NamUs. Coroners and medical examiners are given procedures to report the unidentified deceased, and enter all available identifiers into national databases, such as fingerprints, dental records, and DNA analysis.   The text of the legislation can be found here:  http://www.projectjason.org/downloads/ModelLegislation2008Revision.pdf

This idea is currently in 4th Place in Criminal Justice  and needs 67 more votes to make it into the second round!

As Advocate for missing mother and friend, Lilly Aramburo, who vent missing from Miami, FL 6/1/07, I support this legislation wholeheartedly and thank everyone involved, including all who support it by voting and blogging about it and sharing it across the internet. Thank you!! I know what it’s like to fight every step of the way with detectives and law enforcement to get anything done. Every body knows how critical the first 24-48 hours are in solving a missing persons case, but in Lilly’s case, nothing was done because the detective assigned to her case was on vacation! Needless to say, Lilly’s case went cold fast. And the person/people who took her life, remain free with the ability to prey on someone else’s loved one.

This is just our experience. Countless families are forced to suffer needless injustice, red tape and even racism at the hands of law enforcement . I believe it can be prevented by this legislation and many cases could be solved. We must take action now.

Please add your voice and support missing & unidentified persons and their families in the US.

Posted under legislation, missing persons

“Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated.” -Lamartine

We depend on social networking sites to assist in raising awareness for Lilly Aramburo and missing people.  If you have a loved one that’s missing, or if you’d like to help the cause, please join this Missing Persons group on Flickr. The group is focused on missing persons in the United States. Every member is encouraged to upload pictures of missing loved ones (as long as they disappeared within the US). This is a good idea for several aspects. Many people use Flickr and it’s a very effective way of raising awareness for the missing.

Please join us in the Missing Persons Friendfeed Room.  Members post links to pictures, articles, anything that has to do with missing people (Amber Alerts, abductions, kidnapping, runaways, etc).  If you’re a social media lover, be sure to join us on various sites across the web like Care2.com and Mixx.com. Please add Missing Lilly Aramburo as a friend on myspace and join her cause on Facebook. These are just a few things you can do to help.

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of Lilly (above).  It’s how I remember my friend. Smiling, laughing, enjoying LIFE.  Since Lilly’s disappearance, on June 1, 2007, life has not been the same.  Lily’s mother lives in constant agony, waiting for news about her daughter. It’s not easy having to raise her grandson under such difficult circumstances . With each day, Lilly’s son (now 2 years old) slowly loses precious memories of his mother. He was only 9 months old, last time he was held in her warm and loving embrace. With every new picture, sadness tends to overcome me. And all I’m left with are questions. After all this time, I believe her little boy and family, deserve answers.  She absolutely did NOT willingly walk away from her son and her life.  She’d never allow so much time to pass without a phone call or checking in on her son. Someone took her from us. And many of us will not rest until she is brought back home and justice is served for Lilly Aramburo.

You can help by making a quick phone call to the US Attorney’s Office at 305-530-7679. It appears the US Attorneys office are the only ones who can properly investigate this case. Also, please continue sending emails to Governor Charlie Crist and media. It makes no sense that after all this time, not ONE article has been written about Lilly’s case in local newspapers like The Miami Herald or her picture displayed by local news channels. It’s not due to lack of effort, I testify to that.

Someone out there knows what happened to Lilly. I urge you to contact the detective or call the tip line at 305-471-TIPS.  You can remain anonymous if need be. Just pick up the phone and make the phone call, please! No matter how small a detail, no matter how silly you think it may be, your information could help solve this mystery. It’s been hell for Lilly’s family and friends. Please help bring Lilly back home. Immediately contact MDPD at 305-418-7245 or call the tip line at 305-471-TIPS, if you know anything at all about Lilly Aramburo’s disappearance.

Here’s a direct statement to her perpetrator, YOUR CONSCIOUS MUST BE KILLING YOU!

Please keep Lilly Aramburo and her family in your prayers.

Posted under Justice in Miami, missing mother, missing person

clipped from www.wwmt.com Plainwell man missing ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in locating a missing person. Marshall Boyd Kenyon is a 77-year-old male who suffers from mild dementia/Alzheimers and is in generally poor health. Marshall was last seen on Monday, December 1st around 2:15 pm, leaving his home in Plainwell, Michigan. Marshall was headed out to get mail and cigars in the Plainwell area. Marshall was driving a gray and tan 2003 Buick Century with a Michigan plate ‘BGF 1822.’ Marshall was last seen wearing a red and black Carhart jacket, stocking cap, jeans and boots. Marshall also wears glasses. Anyone with information about Marshall Kenyon’s whereabouts is asked to contact Allegan County Central Dispatch at 269-673-3899.

Posted under missing person

my dakinis

On this special holiday of gratitude, I am grateful for:

• my precious children (my little dakinis)
• my precious human life
• my husband & lifelong best friend, “Steaprok”
• his infinite patience
• my family
• my friends & sangha
• the kindness of my teachers - especially Lama Tsering Everest & Chagdud Khandro of Chagdud Gompa
• my daughters’ school, their teacher’s & the butterfly garden
• the little time we had with our precious friend, Lilly Aramburo (still missing)
• all the wonderful people who have supported me in my mission to find Lilly
• my cat, Machik and all animals
• the dedication of organizations like NCMA and Project Jason for missing persons
• those who advocate on behalf of womens rights & violence against women worldwide
• those who feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless
• those who work to ease suffering
• our president elect, Barack Obama

I love you all deeply and hope that this day you reflect on the positive things in your life. As well as sending prayers of compassion to those beings who are in pain and suffering greatly.

May you, your family and your friends all find peace this day and all days.

Posted under gratitude, missing person

clipped from www.texasequusearch.org Francisco Cuevas, age 47, was last seen on Saturday, November 3, 2007 in Coral Springs, Florida, at his place of employment and has not been or heard from since. Francisco was driving a 2004 Jeep Cherokee, black, 4 door, License plate � FL PYROIND.

Posted under missing persons

clipped from www.miamiherald.com Broward child’s 1987 murder to be reopened The Broward Sheriff’s Office and the FBI plan Wednesday morning to announce the reopening of the late 1980s case of a 3-year-old girl found killed in West Broward. On June 8, 1987, Julie Magliulo walked outside her family’s home near North Lauderdale. Her parents never saw her alive again. Her skeleton was found about 10 months later, dumped about 20 miles away in what then was a barren swampland, and now is the city of Weston. Her disappearance was selected as part of an initiative by the FBI’s Crimes Against Children Unit, which includes Child Abduction Rape Deployment Teams, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said Tuesday. ”This was one of the five that was picked from around the country,” Orihuela said. The FBI has offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Those with information are asked to call 1-800-225-5324.

Posted under murder, reward

Kid Finders Network and North Miami Beach Police join forces to spotlight missing person Heather Riggio

Press Conference for missing person Heather “Kitty” Riggio
Originally uploaded by seoyogini

This morning I attended a Press Conference held by the North Miami Beach Police and Kid Finders Network for missing person, Heather “Kitty” Riggio. I was invited by Sherri Milstead, the Executive Director of Kid Finders Network. She learned about Lilly’s case and contacted me earlier in the week.

Kid Finders Network is a nonprofit organization which provides mobile billboards to families, organizations and Law Agencies in search of Missing Children and Missing Persons.  They have a mobile billboard (pictured above) with Heather’s information and picture on it. It will stay at the police station in North Miami Beach until Monday. After that it will go to the area where Heather was last seen at in Homestead. It will cruise the area, increasing the odds of someone calling with an important tip. The drivers are trained in taking tips, too. You can see my entire set of pictures of the press conference and the mobile billboard by clicking the link under the picture.

Lilly’s mom and I could not contain our tears as we watched the press conference taking place. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed with compassion for families experiencing the same suffering.  It was heartbreaking. But at the same time, I saw the dedication and all the effort put forth by the detectives from North Miami Beach Police Department. What a blessing for Heather’s family. I’ve been following her case and from the start, these detectives have done such a great job. I admire and commend them for their commitment and efforts to find Heather. They were able to get her story featured on America’s Most Wanted.

Here is the official press release from the North Miami Beach Police Department. They have it posted on their website:

Topic: Kid Finders Network to Assist in Missing
Persons Case Utilizing Innovative Mobile
Billboard

Date & Time: Friday, July 11th at 11:00 AM at NMBPD,
16901 NE 19 Av.

Narrative: Kid Finders Network will be assisting us with a missing person case where a young female, Heather Riggio, went missing on May 6, 2007 and the public’s help is paramount to helping us find her or find out what happened to her as foul play may be involved. Kid Finders Network is providing an innovative way to assist law enforcement with the recovery of missing persons by providing a mobile billboard that will feature vital information such as photographs of the victim, the areas she frequented, etc. which will be deployed in the area Heather was last seen.

Kid Finders will be at the North Miami Beach Police Department on Friday, July 11th at 11:00 AM with the billboard provided for this case. Representatives from Kid Finders Network as well as NMB Chief Rafael P. Hernandez, Jr. and Lead Case Detective Rich Rand will be present to speak about the case and unveil the highly effective and innovative billboard that will profile this case.

For more information regarding this press release please call Detective Rich Rand at 305-218-1234 or Sergeant Warren Hardison.

Posted under missing person

Sunday, November 16th would have been Lilly Aramburo’s 25th birthday. More than 16 months have passed since her family and friends last saw Lilly’s sweet smile or listened to her kind words. Her absence is felt every day by many who knew and loved her.

Justice In Miami is inviting everyone to join Lilly’s friends and family this Sunday for a Birthday Vigil in Lilly’s honor in Miami Beach. The gathering will take place on 80th Street & Collins Ave to celebrate Lilly’s life. Bring a candle and a prayer, together we can start the healing process.

Sadly, life hasn’t been the same since June 2, 2007. It won’t ever be back to normal until the truth about what happened comes to light and the persons who did this are brought to justice.

WHAT: BIRTHDAY VIGIL FOR LILLY ARAMBURO
WHEN: SUNDAY, November 16th, 2008
WHERE: 80th Street and Collins Ave in Miami Beach, FL
By the water…
TIME: TBA
If you’re interested in attending, please let me know and I’ll make sure to keep you updated. If you cannot make it, (wherever you are) please light a candle and dedicate a prayer for Lilly.

Let Lilly’s name not be forgotten.

Thank you for your continued support.

Posted under missing mother, missing person

clipped from www.fox11az.com Reward offered in missing person case The Tucson Police Department has announced that the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of Ms. Elnora Charles. Ms. Charles is 63 years old, stands 5’1” tall, and weighs 170 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black and red flower dress and prescription eyeglasses. Ms. Charles was last seen by a family member driving northbound on 1 st Avenue at Fort Lowell Road at around 7 p.m. on November 15, 2007. Her car was found abandoned in the Catalina Mountains two days later. Charles Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 88-CRIME.

Posted under missing person

My friend, Lilly Aramburo, vanished 6/1/07 from her fiance’s condo in Miami, FL.  Recently, an article about Lilly was published on the cover of the Miami New Times. Now, just a few short weeks later, Nancy Grace featured her on her show as a Case Alert.

You can make a huge difference! Lilly deserves justice and that is why I am asking you to contact Nancy Grace and ask her to investigate Lilly’s disappearance.
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?81

If you have any information, PLEASE contact Miami Dade Police at 305-418-7200 or call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 or 866-471-8477. You can also report your tip online anonymously https://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=139

Thank you for all of your support! And special thanks to Levi from War on Crime for making this happen!! =) Nancy, THANK YOU!

Posted under missing mother, missing person

Please read my guest post on the Subliminal Pixels blog entitled “Free Online Resources for Finding Missing Persons.” It is a first post in a series detailing how to use Social Media to raise awareness for charitable causes, specifically for raising awareness and finding missing persons.  In the coming posts I will go into much more specific detail on tips and techniques used to do this. Please follow the link to read the full post.

http://www.subliminalpixels.com/2008/09/05/50-free-online-resources-for-finding-a-missing-persons-using-social-media/

Comments and Stumbles are appreciated!!

Posted under advocacy, missing person, resources

clipped from mymilkcarton.org The family of a missing woman hopes a $1,000 dollar reward can help bring her back. Viridiana Maldonado’s, 21, has been missing since October. She was last seen at her North Charleston apartment. Police said at a news conference Thursday morning they don’t think she left home on her own free will. They’re hoping someone will know where she is. Maldonado’s sister says she’s been getting text messages from her sister that don’t sound right. A translator for the sister of Maldonado says, “The way she sent those text messages is not her … She never asked for her children, you know, like text messaging: ‘How are the kids doing?’ or ‘Take care of them.’ Because if she left, she would know the kids had to stay with somebody. I don’t think the mother would just leave the kids not knowing what’s going to happen to them.” If you know where to find Viridiana Maldonado, call the Comen Detective Agency at 571-2667. A $1,000 reward is being offered if she is found by midnight on January 10th.

Posted under missing mother, missing person

Lilly Aramburo Missing Mother

Thank you for visiting Justice in Miami, currently it is under construction.

Our mission is to empower citizens affected by the loss of a missing person. This site will focus on advocacy efforts, resources, support and advice for using social media and the internet to raise awareness for your missing loved one.

Were you looking for Justice in Miami for missing South Florida mother, Lilly Aramburo? Click on the link to go to the blog.

Be sure to come back to visit us again in a few days! In the meantime, be sure to join us if you haven’t already:

Join the Friendfeed Missing Persons Room.

Join the Flickr Missing Persons Group.

Join the Mixx Missing Persons Community.

Join the Care2 Missing Persons Group.

Follow me on Twitter!

Posted under Justice in Miami

I started an online course last night entitled “What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence”. I found it by mistake but am thrilled to be learning more about the topic. Although, I’m not in law enforcement, it’s pretty straight forward and easy to grasp. I started it last night and finished it within the hour. For more info, visit http://www.dna.gov/ The courses are free and available to law enforcement, family and victim advocates. They also provide booklets and publications like “Identifying Victims Using DNA: A Guide for Families”

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. The agency is committed to exploring crime control and justice issues. An area of focus is “DNA technology” which has increasingly become a vital tool in the criminal justice system. In order to increase and improve the use of this technology, the President announced a 5 year, billion dollar initiative, (President’s DNA Initiative), which promotes “Advancing Justice through DNA Technology”.

The President’s DNA Initiative targets specific goals:

• To eliminate the current testing backlog of DNA samples
• Improve DNA laboratories’ testing capacities
• Research and Development of DNA technologies
• Training and Assistance for criminal justice professionals
• Provide access to post conviction DNA testing
• The use of DNA for missing persons cases and identifying human remains
• Protect the innocent

The UNT, Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI), with support by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), has become a recognized national center providing scientific and technical support to law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and crime labs throughout the country.

UNTCHI in collaboration with law enforcement offers families with missing loved ones the opportunity to submit reference samples for DNA testing. The lab is one of only a few facilities that integrates nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for analyses. Once DNA profiles are obtained, they are directly entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System plus Mito (CODIS+mito) database.

In addition to testing family and direct reference samples, the DNA lab works in collaboration with the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology in Denton, Texas to help identify the remains of victims. DNA profiles obtained from remains are also entered into the CODIS+mito database.

Information for Relatives of Missing Persons,
Coroners, Medical Examiners & Law Enforcement Agencies

UNTCHI personnel will work with medical examiners, coroners’ offices, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center for Missing Adults, and law enforcement agencies throughout the United States with the submission, collection, and analyses of Missing Persons samples.

A missing person report should be filed with the Law Enforcement Agency having jurisdiction where the individual was last seen or last resided. The Law Enforcement Agency will determine if the missing person meets a “High Risk” criteria. The agency may ask the family to submit personal articles belonging to the missing person (Direct Reference Sample, DRS); in addition, they may need to collect Family Reference Samples (FRS). The collection and submission of FRS can only be collected and submitted by the Law Enforcement Agency. Family reference collection kits (swabs) and the required paperwork are provided by the UNTSCHI. The collection kits and testing are provided free of charge.

After analysis, the profiles will be entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System and uploaded to the FBI’s National Missing Persons DNA Database.

Correspondence is mediated through the Law Enforcement Agency. If a match occurs, the Law Enforcement Agency will notify the family.

Law Enforcement Agencies, Medical Examiners, and Coroners may need to submit Unidentified Human Remains, (UHR). Identifying remains through DNA can be a lengthy process. There may be cases where there is no usable DNA or not enough relatives available for testing; however, our professional staff will pursue every avenue to obtain a profile.

Victim Advocates > What You Should Know About DNA Evidence

What You Should Know:

* What is DNA?
* Evidence Collection
* Contamination and Preservation
* DNA Testing and Interpretation
* Uses of DNA Evidence
* Identifying DNA Evidence
* Suggested Resources

DNA evidence is playing a larger role than ever before in criminal cases throughout the country, both to convict the guilty and to exonerate those wrongly accused or convicted. This increased role places greater importance on the ability of victim service providers to understand the potential significance of DNA evidence in their clients’ cases.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the building block for the human body; virtually every cell contains DNA. The DNA in people’s blood is the same as the DNA in their saliva, skin tissue, hair, and bone. Importantly, DNA does not change throughout a person’s life.
The Value of DNA Evidence

DNA is a powerful investigative tool because, with the exception of identical twins, no two people have the same DNA. Therefore, DNA evidence collected from a crime scene can be linked to a suspect or can eliminate a suspect from suspicion. During a sexual assault, for example, biological evidence such as hair, skin cells, semen, or blood can be left on the victim’s body or other parts of the crime scene. Properly collected DNA can be compared with known samples to place a suspect at the scene of the crime. In addition, if no suspect exists, a DNA profile from crime scene evidence can be entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) to identify a suspect anywhere in the United States or to link serial crimes to each other.

The effective use of DNA as evidence may also require the collection and analysis of elimination samples to determine the exact source of the DNA. Elimination samples may be taken from anyone who had lawful access to the crime scene and may have left biological material. When investigating a rape case, for example, it may be necessary to obtain an elimination sample from everyone who had consensual intercourse with the victim within 72 hours of the alleged assault to account for all of the DNA found on the victim or at the crime scene. Comparing DNA profiles from the evidence with elimination samples may help clarify the results.

Using CODIS To Solve Crime

CODIS uses two indexes to generate investigative leads in crimes that contain biological evidence. The forensic index contains DNA profiles from biological evidence left at crime scenes, and the offender index contains DNA profiles of individuals convicted of violent crime. Each State in the Nation has a DNA database law that defines which convicted offenders must have their profiles entered into CODIS; some States even require that DNA profiles from all felons be entered into the database. CODIS enables Federal, State, and local forensic crime laboratories to work together—between jurisdictions and across State lines—to solve crimes.

From Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers, May 2001, Brochure, National Institute of Justice and Office for Victims of Crime

Posted under DNA, law enforcement, missing person

By David Van Norman - Civil Servant.

VAN NORMAN’S RULES FOR DEALING WITH CIVIL SERVANTS

Including, but not limited to, Coroners and Cops

“The Taxpayer Speech:

“Matthew was, and still may be, a taxpayer. His family are taxpayers. YOU are a taxpayer. They (or you, on their behalf) needn’t go begging, hat in hand, for information. He, they, and you, have already paid for that service! You support, by paying taxes and purchasing goods and services in the community (anywhere), the infrastructure of government, which includes law enforcement organizations. You paid for my training and experience (regardless of where you live) for me to learn what I know, and for the investigators in Whatever County to do what they do. You pay for the gas that propels their cars and the computers on which they type their reports. You, as a taxpayer, citizen, victim, loved-one of a victim, or private advocate acting on behalf of the family, have EVERY RIGHT to expect professionalism, and adherence to the rules of professional conduct. If you don’t get that, someone needs to loose their job!

“Law enforcement, like most organizations, has a political side. A deputy investigator, patrolman or detective will not be concerned with the political aspect of failing to do what needed to be done. They are insulated from above by layers of supervision. A sergeant is higher up the supervisory chain, but only a few have aspirations to rise into management. By the time a police officer is promoted to lieutenant, and certainly by captain or chief, politics is about all there is. The weakest link, believe it or not, is the department chief or Sheriff. A chief is generally an appointed position (serving at the pleasure of the county administration), while the sheriff or coroner is generally elected. Either way, scandal will end their careers (and does, on a daily basis) in a heartbeat. No matter how high-and-mighty I think I am, there is always someone higher, and mightier, than me, who understands that he (or she) is held in place by a fickle public.

“Law enforcement, by its very nature, can be intimidating to deal with. But, the fact is that law enforcement has more to fear from you than you from them. Provided you plan your contacts with them, and don’t expect the moon, you should be able to assist the family.

“I appreciate that it is difficult to communicate effectively with law enforcement or other forensic specialists. There are legitimate reasons that some information cannot be released to the public. No one knows who you are – you may be the murderer. But, if your salutation is professional, and includes a concise statement of who you are, and why you are calling – and if it sounds as though you make these calls on behalf of families 20 times a day, your credibility goes up.

“One of the reasons I use email so much, is that it gives the receiver a sense of solidity – having something in hand (or at least in a computer) that verifies the sender’s veracity. My signature block is chock full of junk, but anyone reading it knows they can check me out – I’m inviting them to! My emails are designed to overwhelm. I intentionally front-load everything. It presents in the minds eye a bulldozer that WILL NOT STOP. I want them to see me coming, take me seriously, and comply with my requests. I want them to know that if they don’t comply, I won’t be ignored. Not everybody gets that message… the first time. That’s another advantage of the email format, I just send the same message with SECOND REQUEST at the end of the subject line, with the original message attached (date-time stamped), and CC it to the receiver’s supervisor. That generally gets the job done.

“My standard advice is that during your legitimate inquiries, if anyone refuses to answer your questions, you should “walk up” the chain of command – at each level asking if it is the policy and practice of the subordinate to ignore inquiries from the grieving families of decedents.

“I recommend that you call the agency, and start your inquiry with an investigator – and hook him (or her). Then tell them that you have constructed an email with information about the missing person that you would like to send to him (or her) for ‘forwarding to the most appropriate authority within your department.’”
I’d like to thank Mr. David Van Norman for allowing me to publish his advice. It is my sincere wish that everyone who reads this post benefits from it, like I did.

Posted under advice, law enforcement, missing person