NamUs provides technology, forensic services, and investigative support to resolve missing persons cases.
Medicolegal death investigators are connected with people and resources to resolve unidentified decedent cases.
Family members of missing persons are empowered with tools to search and enter their missing loved one into NamUs.
The Nation's Silent Mass Disaster
Over 600,000 individuals go missing in the United States every year. Fortunately, many missing children and adults are quickly found, alive and well. However, tens of thousands of individuals remain missing for more than one year – what many agencies consider “cold cases”.
It is estimated that 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered each year, with approximately 1,000 of those bodies remaining unidentified after one year.
NamUs Program
NamUs is a national information clearinghouse and resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases across the United States. Funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice and managed through a cooperative agreement with the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas, all NamUs resources are provided at no cost to law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners, allied forensic professionals, and family members of missing persons.
NamUs 2.0 Technology
The NamUs database application fills the nation’s need for a unified, online, free, secure database for unidentified remains and missing persons records.
Forensic Services
NamUs provides free forensic services, to include forensic odontology, fingerprint examination, forensic anthropology, and DNA analyses through the UNT Center for Human Identification. Family DNA collection kits are also provided at no cost.
Investigative Support
NamUs’ seasoned staff consult on cases and support criminal justice efforts to drive resolution – all free of charge.
Training & Outreach
NamUs subject matter experts provide free training and perform direct outreach to families of the missing by coordinating Missing Person Day events with agencies across the country.
Victim Services
The Victim Services Division links families affected by the loss or disappearance of a loved one with service providers, support networks, and other resources to help them navigate the complex and difficult environment in which they find themselves.
NamUs 2.0 Database Application
The NamUs database fills an overwhelming need for a central repository of information related to missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases. The database is searchable by all, with biometric and other secure case information accessible only to appropriate, vetted criminal justice users.
Missing person records can be entered into NamUs by anyone, including the general public; however, all cases are verified with the appropriate law enforcement agency prior to publication in NamUs.
Unidentified and unclaimed person records are entered into the NamUs database by medical examiners, coroners, and other criminal justice designees.
Missing and unidentified person cases in NamUs are automatically compared to locate potential matches based on dates, geography, and core demographic information. Advanced searches can be performed to locate matches based on additional unique descriptors such as scars, marks, tattoos, clothing, jewelry, etc.
NamUs 2.0 Application Improvements
USER EXPERIENCE - SYSTEM PERFORMANCE - SECURITY
Streamlined System Registration
Streamlined system registration and case entry improves overall user experience with wizards, dashboards, modern web tools, and a single login for all case types.
Advanced Search
Upgraded “advance search” tools enable faster and more complex searching of the system to increase case resolutions.
Enhanced User Dashboard
Manage both Missing and Unidentified cases from one central location.
Data Security
Moved the NamUs system to the OJP SecureCloud to enhance system performance while maintaining the highest level of security of sensitive case data and personally identifiable information.
Enhanced Case Mapping
Individually map cases directly from the NamUs record, or display advanced search results on maps that pinpoint specific address locations for vetted professional users.
Case Matching
Updated case matching algorithms increases resolutions by enhancing demographic and geographic searching.
NamUs Investigative Support
Regional Program Specialists
NamUs Regional Program Specialist (RPS) hold Department of Justice security clearances and are experienced professionals from the criminal justice and/or forensic science communities.
RPSs provide investigative support to missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons by providing case consultations, assisting with the collection of biometric information, facilitating NamUs forensic services, and providing training and guidance on the effective use of the NamUs 2.0 database application.
Analytical Division
The NamUs Analytical Division provides case support to the Regional Program Specialist team and criminal justice agencies across the country. The NamUs Analytical Division utilizes nongovernmental criminal justice databases and advanced search techniques to provide:
- Indication of life for persons reported missing to NamUs
- Contact information for family members to facilitate DNA sample collections
- Information regarding next of kin for death notifications
- Leads related to unidentified person cases
- Information to assist criminal justice agencies vet tips and leads
NamUs Forensic Services
DNA Analysis
The UNT Center for Human Identification’s Missing Person’s Unit performs nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses to assist with the identification of missing and unidentified person cases.
In addition to nuclear DNA, UNTCHI is one of a small number of laboratories capable of developing and uploading mitochondrial DNA profiles to CODIS.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints are a widely recognized and cost-effective biometric marker. They are a reliable means of personal identification that enable rapid comparisons – when submitted to NamUs, fingerprints are immediately available for comparisons that can result in positive identifications or exclusions.
The NamUs Fingerprint/AFIS Unit assists with scanning, classifying, uploading, analyzing, and comparing fingerprint information submitted to NamUs. All fingerprint images provided to NamUs are also digitized and uploaded to an internal AFIS database for searching and comparison, and all unidentified decedent prints are also submitted to the FBI’s Latent Print Unit for searching in the national Next Generation Identification (NGI) database.
Forensic Odontology
Law enforcement, medical examiners, and coroners rely on dental records to establish legal and verifiable identifications of missing and unidentified persons. Dental records provide an opportunity to make rapid, cost-effective, detailed comparison between individuals for inclusions or exclusions of potential matches. Agencies can directly upload dental information for missing and unidentified person cases to NamUs, which is a secure, central repository.
NamUs forensic odontologists can also be contacted to digitally scan, code, and upload information to NamUs cases on behalf of investigating agencies. All dental information uploaded to NamUs is available for 24/7 professional comparisons. NamUs odontologists also complete NCIC dental worksheets that allow agencies to upload accurate and complete dental information to NCIC.
Forensic Anthropology
The UNTCHI’s Forensic Anthropology Laboratory provides the following analyses of skeletal remains to investigating agencies:
- Determination of forensic significance and postmortem interval estimations
- Development of demographic profiles – such as sex, ancestry, stature, and age – to aide searches for possible matches
- Identifications of skeletal remains based on comparisons of medical and radiographic information
- Trauma analysis to contribute to cause and manner of death determinations
Victim Services
NamUs Victim Services Division
The Victim Services Division provides the following information and support to individuals and families impacted by the loss or disappearance of a loved one:
- Peer support network
- Mental health support
- Reunification
- Outreach and education
Training & Outreach
Communications Division
The NamUs Communications Division responds to media inquiries, performs outreach to media, coordinates social networking efforts, and collaborates with victim advocate groups across the country to increase awareness and use of the NamUs program to resolve cases.
NamUs offers a variety of free training and outreach services, to include:
- Individualized assistance learning the NamUs 2.0 database application.
- Customized, online or classroom training for agencies on the NamUs 2.0 database application, forensic services, and the effective use of NamUs tools to resolve missing and unidentified person cases.
- Presentations at local, state, and national training conferences (see www.untfsu.com/events for upcoming opportunities in your area).
- Assistance with the coordination and implementation of local and statewide “Missing Person Day” events to enter cases into NamUs and facilitate the collection of family reference DNA samples.
The Success of NamUs Filter By:
Missing Persons
Unidentified Persons
Unclaimed Persons
Who Uses NamUs
Medical Examiners & Coroners
NamUs provides technology and resources to resolve unidentified decedent cases across the country. The NamUs Analytical Division also assists with the location of family members for next of kin death notifications and DNA sample collections for comparison.
Law Enforcement
NamUs connects law enforcement with tools and resources to resolve missing person cases, including state-of-the-art technology to securely store, share, and compare case information with other criminal justice professionals.
Families of Missing Persons
NamUs provides tools that empower family members of missing persons to enter and search case information, and connects families with criminal justice professionals to assist in the search for their missing loved ones.
Register for a free account to enter a case or access any of the free resources available through NamUs
Register