Resolution on Unidentified Remains Approved by House - Women's Congressional Policy Institute

On September 24, the House approved, 389-1, a resolution (H. Res. 340) on the importance of providing a voice for the victims and victims’ families involved in missing persons cases and unidentified human remains cases.

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

every year tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances;
there are more than 40,000 sets of human remains held in the property rooms of medical examiners, coroners, and police departments across the country that cannot be identified by conventional means; and
many cities and counties continue to bury or cremate unidentified human remains without any attempt to collect DNA and many laboratories are unable to perform timely DNA analysis of human remains, especially when they are old or are degraded.“Given that tomorrow is the first annual day of remembrance for murder victims, it is only fitting that we recognize and respond to a segment of the victim population that too often goes unrecognized: those victims who are missing and whose remains have yet to be identified,” said Rep. Chabot. He continued, “Unfortunately, it is far more common than one would think, just how many families are searching for some clue as to the location of the remains of their missing family members, and too often families are alone in their effort to locate their loved one… Rapidly advancing DNA technology has proven to be a critical tool that law enforcement and families can access to locate and identify individuals and solve cold cases…Some law enforcement officials do not know that this DNA technology can assist in solving cold cases. Even if law enforcement knows the technology exists, states may not mandate DNA testing for this segment of the victim population. We, as elected officials, have a responsibility to take the lead in ensuring, number one, that adequate funding and effective education and training for law enforcement and the public exists; and, two, that all available resources and tools are being used to their fullest ability.”
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) said, “The grief of loss of a loved one, particularly a parent’s loss of a child, can only be surpassed by the endless torment of not knowing. When a loved one is missing, there is no finality, no way to begin the grieving process so that closure may eventually come and family and friends can begin healing. Going on, often hoping against hope, knowing the news they fear the most may come at any moment is a tormenting experience. But with today’s DNA technology, much of this burden can be removed. Over 6,000 samples of DNA evidence have been used to identify remains of missing persons; and with continued and increased funding, we can bring more justice to victims and peace to the families and friends…We can and must continue to fund advancing DNA technology because, although there has been much success, there remains much to do…Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support continued DNA-evidence backlog reduction grants in identifying missing persons and to exonerate the innocent and to identify the guilty. We have seen what the technology can do, and we have the wherewithal to fund those activities. Justice demands that we view continued funding as a major responsibility.”