New York City Medical Examiner's Office to hold 1st Missing Persons Day

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York City Medical Examiner's Office is hosting a support event this weekend for the families and friends of long-term missing persons, and officials are hoping new technology might help identify some of them.

Those in attendance will have direct access to interviews with professionals and the opportunity to provide information to aid in identification, and emotional and spiritual support services will also be available on site.

Utilizing the latest DNA testing, forensic scientists hope to be able to identify hundreds of unidentified people, helping loved ones to finally have some clue, some closure for their missing relatives and friends.

It's billed as New York City's first missing persons day, to be held at the office of the chief medical examiner (OCME), at 421 East 26th Street (at 1st Avenue), on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where families can visit and provide valuable information that could lead to identifying a missing relative.

"It's an opportunity for them to come and meet with us," OCME assistant director Mark Desire said. "We can explain the identification process, go over their case and possibly collect additional information or a DNA sample."

There are more than 1,200 people in the medical examiner's case files who are unidentified, some dating back to 1990. Blood relatives can give a DNA swab that would then be run through various national and local data bases.

"Years ago, we didn't even have DNA," forensic scientist Jaime Renta. "We just used blood and blood typing. And now, as technology has improved, we can actually develop DNA profiles which we can use as comparison samples, so we can say whether or not they do match or they don't."

If a person doesn't feel comfortable providing a DNA sample at the event or wants to give it some more thought, there is also a special kit that can be used in the privacy of his or her own home.

"Like a day of remembrance," Desire said. "To let family and friends of those still missing know that we are still working on these cases."

Anyone who wants to call in advance to learn suggested items to bring that might be helpful in the identification process can contact the office at (212) 323-1201.

More than 13,000 people were reported missing in New York City last year, with some, including at least 200 children, missing long term. Nationwide, there are more than 87,000 active missing persons cases, while there are tens of thousands of unidentified persons for whom little to no information is entered into national databases.