BY CSP PIO
(September 11, 2023)— Connecticut families with missing relatives are asked to participate in a DNA drive sponsored by multiple agencies in order to identify human remains that have been found in the state.
The Missing Persons DNA Drive for families with missing relatives will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the main entrance of the University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Road, West Haven.
This DNA drive is a collaboration among the University of New Haven, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Connecticut State Police, and the DESPP Division of Scientific Services. This drive is intended for families with missing loved ones who have not already submitted a DNA sample into the missing person/unidentified database of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
When unidentified human remains are found, a sample is sent to the Division of Scientific Services to be tested and then entered into CODIS. If a sample from a family member has previously been entered into CODIS, it can connect (or “hit”) to the unidentified remains. It is important for families of missing persons to understand their DNA will be used only to try to identify the unidentified human remains and the missing persons samples that are currently in the DNA Database or those that will be entered in the future.
The missing persons DNA drive is for family closely related to the missing person, such as parents, siblings, and children. The closer the relationship to the missing person, the better the chance for an identification. State Police urge anyone who has a missing family member to make a police report with the local police department in the town where the person went missing. If a report has already been made, but a family DNA sample was not taken, please attend the DNA Drive on September 16th so that we can enter your sample into the database and hopefully match it with a loved one. If a family has not reported their missing loved one to police, members of the Connecticut State Police will be available to take the report.
