Minnesotans with missing loved ones can submit their DNA this summer in hopes of identifying some of the 100 human remains found in the state, and others from across the country.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is rolling out concerted DNA collection efforts across the state in hopes of matching them with DNA profiles in state and federal missing persons databases.
"While a match like this is not the result families hope for, information may help them move forward," BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the effort. "A process that takes less than a minute to complete can answer a lifetime's worth of questions."
The BCA is asking parents, siblings and children of missing persons to provide a DNA sample collected with a cheek swab. Catherine Knutson, BCA deputy superintendent, said that the closest relatives provide the best samples, and that multiple family members should submit samples. They should also bring information about their missing loved one, including name, date of birth, date and location they went missing, photos and items that may contain their DNA, such as toothbrushes, razors, retainers and watches.
There are at least 100 sets of human remains located in Minnesota that have not been identified, according to the BCA.
Knutson said that DNA profiles have been collected for about half of them, several were unable to produce DNA profiles and some remain buried and untested.
The BCA exhumed the remains of three men and two women last summer, but were unable to match their DNA with samples in state and federal databases. The people were found dead between 1976 and 1991, and ranged in age from 16 to 50.
"It doesn't matter how long they've been missing — four years, 40 years — providing a sample is the first step to answering questions that, in many cases, have lingered on for decades," Knutson said.
