Forensic medicine and human identification 75Anthropology and facial reconstruction are rarely used alone to estab-
lish identity. They are crucial elements in establishing presumptive identi-
fications that can then be combined with DNA or dental analysis for final,
positive identification.5.10 Sources of ComparisonMost commonly, from the circumstances of death, the forensic pathologist
or investigating agency has a supposition of who the unidentified person may
be and the family is often contacted to provide information (such as doctors,
hospitals visited, clothing, tattoos) in order to establish a positive identification.
Should no materials be present to allow for such a presumptive identification,
several databases exist for comparison of unidentified persons to missing per-
sons. Again, since DNA and fingerprints will be discussed in a forthcoming
chapter (Chapters 6 and 7) , the Automated Fingerprint Identification System
(AFIS) and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) will not be discussed
here, only mentioned, as they are among the databases used in the attempt to
identify persons.
The oldest system is the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Missing Person File, created in 1975, and the Unidentified Person File, created
in 1983. Investigative agencies can submit identifying characteristics to the
Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division’s Intelligence Group of
the FBI, which oversees the databases. The information is then cross-referenced
against known missing persons to find similar, matching cases. If similar cases
are found, the investigating agencies are able to contact each other to obtain
the information required to establish a positive identification. Unfortunately,
not all unidentified persons or missing persons get placed into the system.
The FBI has also launched the VICTIMS web-based database in an effort to
make the unidentified human remains portion of the NCIC database acces-
sible to the forensic identification community to assist identifying remains.
Its purpose is to provide a “...role-based access to enter and search records
of the unidentified, while allowing the public access to information that may
assist in the identification of these individuals.”^1 However, as of 2009, the
database is still in its development/data collection stage.
In 2007, the National Institute of Justice began funding the National
Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).^2 This system consists
of two databases: (1) unidentified decedents and (2) known missing persons
data. Phase III of the NamUs database project is scheduled to occur in 2009,
which will link the two databases allowing for comparison of unidentified
remains to known missing persons. The database will be searchable by and
accessible to medical examiners, forensic scientists, law enforcement, and the
general public.