Sixteen cases have been solved since a DNA-collection event at Detroit’s Wayne County morgue, reports the Detroit Free Press. Authorities teamed up with Michigan State Police, the Detroit Police Department and the federal National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) to collect more than 60 DNA samples in a bid to name the unclaimed remains there. The success, as well as the still-unnamed bodies, prompted officials to schedule a second collection next month, said Det. Trooper Sarah Krebs of the Michigan State Police.
“Just looking at the statistics, there's obviously a correlation between missing people and bodies at the morgue,” Krebs said. “If someone is missing someone from Wayne County and they presume they met foul play, we need to have their DNA.” Since the first event, investigators have been sending sets of human remains to the University of North Texas Health Science Center, where each was matched against the DNA samples provided. Eight missing person cases were solved that way, Krebs said. Another four were identified through fingerprints or dental records. Investigations led to another four: two incarcerated, one living in Detroit and another in Las Vegas.