COLUMBIA, S.C. — Do you have a friend or family member who has been reported missing and has not yet been found? Would you be willing to use a sample of your DNA in searching for missing individuals?
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford, along with Richland County Coroner's Office, the Richland County Sheriff's Department and representatives from police departments in Columbia, Irmo and Forest Acres, will host a Missing & Unidentified Persons Event 10 a.m.-3 p.m. February 4 at Segra Park.
Families and friends of missing persons will have opportunities to open new reports and have them entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) databases.
Verogen, a California-based company specializing in forensic investigations, will be on site providing DNA kits for family members willing to donate DNA samples and have them uploaded into genetic genealogy databases and CODIS, the FBI's Combined DNA Index System. Family DNA can be used to help verify the identity of persons (or bodies and remains) who may have been found but not yet been confirmed.
Representatives from Virginia-based Innovative Forensic Investigations will be on hand to help families upload DNA to the databases and monitor kits collected at the event.
Segra Park is located in the BullStreet complex, at 1640 Freed Street.
