Who Are You Case Studies in Human Identification

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Who Are You? Case Studies in Human
Identification

• Dana Austin, PhD, DABFA
• Forensic Anthropologist
• Human Identification Lab
• Tarrant County Medical Examiners District

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Human Id Laboratory

• Director and Odontologist
• Roger Metcalf, D.D.S.
• Anthropologist
• Dana Austin, Ph.D.
• Fingerprint Examiners
• Bill Bailey
• Bill Walker
• Interns
• Paul Coffman Others

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TCME Unidentified 12/5/07

• 59 males / 12 females / 1 unknown
• Currently 73 cases from 1982 2007
• 17 different law enforcement agencies
• 19 homicides /26 undetermined / 1 unk
• Better for assistance from law enforcement
• 15 accidental / 9 natural / 3 suicide
• Can mean less interest from LE

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Protocol for Cold Cases

• Case file retrieval and review
• Files retained in Anthropology laboratory
• NCIC entry or modification
• Modification of biological profile
• Addition of dental codes

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Protocol for Cold Cases

• CODISmp sample submission
• Blood swatches/cards
• Bone
• Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks
• Known hair samples
• Fingerprints
• Classification entry into NCIC
• Upload into AFIS/IAFIS/IDENT
• Follow-up with possible matches
• M messages from NCIC
• Leads from networks or citizens

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Additional Measures

• Scan photos and submit to internet based
  databases
• Tattoos
• Facial photos
• Facial Reconstruction
• Clay reconstruction from skulls
• Sketches from body photos
• Enter into other databases
• UDRS
• Doe Network

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Manpower !

• Grant Funded Part-time Employee
• Employment period 2 mos.
• Began June 4, 2007
• 1st identification June 20, 2007
• Two ids on July 13, 2007
• Grant extension expired July 30, 2007
• 3 additional ids since he left
• Application in for Jan-Jun, 2008

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4 Years Unidentified

• 2002 John Doe
• Several tentative ids were
• obtained at the scene from medicine bottles and a
  vehicle
• Lexis Nexis used to track down names and vehicle
• Leads ran to dead ends or left open questions

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2006 Resolution

• Requested all reports from LE. Their follow-up
  and questioning suggested one name.
• Medical records and fingerprints were obtained
• Chest radiographs and fingerprints matched

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4 Years Unidentified

• 2003 John Doe
• Apparent Transient
• Unwitnessed Accident
• Thumbprints searched through TX DPS AFIS database

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2007 Resolution

• Family member called ME office asking for missing
  relative
• Hospital records located for MP but no
  radiographs or dental records found
• FWPD missing persons tracked down archived
  fingerprints on MP
• TCME database showed 4 possible John Doe that fit
  time frame and had f.p. to compare

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What did we miss?

• Fingerprint did not hit in AFIS
• Individual was reported missing to FWPD
• MP case was mis-filed
• Tenacity of family paid off

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4 Years Unidentified

• 2003 John Doe
• Fell or jumped from downtown parking garage
• Thumbprints searched through TX DPS AFIS database

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2007 Resolution

• Fingerprints were run again through TX DPS AFIS
  system
• Candidate search identified decedent this time

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What did we miss?

• Fingerprint did not hit in AFIS in 2003
• If fingerprints are still available it is worth
  the time to try again
• Different fingers may produce a positive result

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Dec. 1994 Train-Pedestrian

• Train unable to stop, body on tracks
• Young Hispanic male
• Handwritten notes in pocket possibly indicate
  suicide
• Train ticket from Dallas to Ft Worth for 2 days
  earlier
• Fingerprints checked with no results

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July 2007

• Call from UNTHSC DNA Identity Lab
• Cold hit on our 1994 John Doe
• TCME submitted Blood swatch 3/06
• Family reference sample submitted by LE 2/06
• 7th cold hit for UNTHSC
• Family notified in person by LE

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TX Missing Persons DNA Database

• Housed at UNTHSC in Fort Worth
• Funded by State Legislation in 2001
• Extractions begun March 2003
• Accepts cases of unidentified remains and
  relatives of missing persons
• First lab to use CODISmp software

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Texas Missing Persons DNA Database 7/16/07

• Current Profiles for Unidentified/Missing
• 470 Unidentified remains
• 1210 Relatives of Missing Persons
• 108 identifications to date
• 7 Cold Hits to date
• 1st Id in August 2003

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National Missing Person DNA Database (NMPDD)

• 2005 data Profiles for Unidentified/Missing
• 158 Missing Persons
• 415 Relatives of Missing Persons
• 203 Unidentified Remains
• Current numbers (July 07) are less than 5000
  combined

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What did we miss?

• Family reported him missing to the local PD
• No NCIC entry
• No check with the MEO
• Family continued to follow-up with their local PD
• We had a train ticket with his last name and did
  not look at MPCH webpage for that name
• MPCH webpage had his date of disappearance off by
  one year

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October 1991 Homicide

• Unknown male recovered from Trinity River
• Young Hispanic Male
• An officer recognizes decedent but does not know
  legal name
• Decedent resided at Night Shelter
• Interviews suggested two possible names

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July 2007

• Fingerprints search through TX DPS AFIS
• Name was the same as one name suggested in 1991
• Family members still not located in Mexico for
  notification

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June 1989 Homicide

• Unknown male inside parked vehicle transported to
  hospital vomiting and seizing
• Thought to be heat stroke
• Citation in pocket for panhandling Name and date
  of birth obtained from ticket
• Hospital changes John Doe to name on ticket

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June 2007

• Fingerprints located in main file
• Right thumb searched through AFIS
• AFIS produced a name with a 9999 score
• Fingerprint comparison confirmed the id
• Name was different but DOB the same as the
  panhandling citation
• Family member notified in person by LE

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AFIS/IAFIS

• Most states have AFIS database run by State
  Police or DPS
• When we search through TX AFIS we are searching
  only the TX database
• IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Id
  System) combines fingerprint databases from
  contributing state federal agencies
• Maintained by the FBI
• Access by law enforcement agencies

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What did we miss?

• Family did not report him missing
• Fingerprints were stored in an archived file
• Date of birth on citation was correct

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22 Years Unidentified1985-2007

• Train-Pedestrian fatality 9/7/1985
• Estimated to be 20 y.o. Hispanic Male
• Postmortem fingerprints retained by agency

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22 Years Unidentified1985-2007

• In 2007, agency did not have original prints or
  any evidence in their storage
• A letter showing that a copy of the fingerprints
  was mailed to MPCH in 1991
• MPCH requested fingerprint search by Biometric
  Support Center West

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BSC West/DHS Fingerprint Center

• Services available to LE and ME 24/7. Response
  is 6-12 hrs from receipt
• Multiple fingerprint databases including IAFIS
  IDENT (DHS/Immigration)
• 70 of IDENT prints are not in IAFIS
• They helped us id two Italian nationals
• All foreign nationals entering US give index
  finger prints. Info included when they entered
  US, where they entered, but no NOK

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What did we miss?

• Fingerprints not centralized and searchable in
  1985
• No information on NOK

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22 Years Unidentified

• Bones were recovered in May 1993 by Johnson Co.
  ME
• LE re-looked at case in 2003
• Bone sample submitted to TX Missing Persons DNA
  database
• Skeleton submitted to Tarrant County
  Anthropologist for analysis and facial
  reconstruction

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June 2003 NCIC Modification

• Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse assisted us
  in modifying the entry
• Age, PMI, stature cause of death were modified
• Dental codes were added
• Modified entry was re-run against possible
  missing females

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Facial Reconstruction by Suzanne Baldon
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June 2004

• The Texas Missing Persons DNA database links our
  skeletal remains to Donna Williamson
• This was the first COLD HIT for the database

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What did we miss?

• Donna Williamson disappeared in 1982 when she was
  19 years 11 mos old
• MP UNID profiles were in NCIC. Donna was
  eliminated as possible because her dental was
  entered reverse left-right

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Missing Person Clearinghouses

• Each U.S. state, Puerto Rico, and Canada have
  some type of clearinghouse
• If you are active in MP or Unid cases, get to
  know your clearinghouse personnel
• Individual states vary in their level of
  resources and services
• NCMEC provides training, technical assist,
  communication to clearinghouses
• http//www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/Ser
  viceServlet?LanguageCountryen_USPageId1421

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Texas
Missing Persons Clearinghouse

• Housed under the Texas DPS Criminal Law
  Enforcement Division, Special Crimes Service
• MPCH was established by the 69th Legislature,
  regular session in 1985.
• 1986 MPCH became operational
• Staff - 8 people

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Texas

Missing Persons Clearinghouse

• Central repository for information pertaining to
  missing persons and unidentified living/deceased.
• Assists law enforcement, families, non-profit
  organizations, and the general public in handling
  matters involving missing and unidentified
  persons.
• Publication/distribution of photos
• Training for law enforcement
• Analytical support (including NCIC entry)

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Texas
Missing Persons Clearinghouse

• Make new or modify NCIC entry
• Search for next of kin
• Easily accessible, knowledgeable
• Run searches and gather responses from NCIC and
  collate for us

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Summary of Id Methods

• 5 cases by fingerprints
• Two re-runs on TX AFIS
• One hit by BSC (Dept. Homeland Security)
• Three first time run
• Two cold DNA hits
• Two investigative clearances
• Family Tenacity

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Summary of Resources

• Clearinghouses
• NCIC database entry
• DNA database entry
• Unid body
• Family reference sample for MP cases
• Fingerprint databases
• Statewide (TX DPS)
• IAFIS (FBI)
• Ident (DHS)
• Webpages

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Additional Resources

• National Center for Missing Exploited Children
• National Center for Missing Adults
• Doe Network
• ViCAP
• Unidentified Decedent Reporting System (UDRS)
• 2006 MEOs can enter unidentified cases
• Includes photos and details
• Limited access to public (visitors)
• Medical Examiner web pages
• Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix)
• Clark County, NV (Las Vegas)
• Los Angeles, CA
• Kentucky

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Special Thank You

• John Planz Steve Gammon, UNTHSC
• Harry Carlile, FBI
• Heidi Fisher Patricia Blake, TDPS MPCH
• Douglas Hares, FBI Laboratory, CODIS Unit