DNA Advancements Leading State Police Missing Persons Initiative

Source: (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

STATEWIDE — If you have a loved one that’s missing, you could provide investigators the key to finding that person or confirming the identity of someone police have found in the past.

Advancements in DNA technology have inspired Indiana State Police, specifically within the Cold Case Team, to increase their efforts to solve long-term missing persons cases throughout Indiana. The plan is for you to provide DNA so that detectives can go section by section throughout Indiana, working with local police, to start moving the ball forward on some cases that may have been lost to time.

“There’s been advancements in DNA so that if we can get a standard from the family that has reported them missing, those two can be linked together and we could at least get some answers,” says Sergeant Kevin Smith of Indiana State Police’s Cold Case Team.

“If DNA from the bio (biological) family member has not been provided, make sure you get ahold of us or them so we can get a DNA standard from the family,” Sgt. Smith explains, “so, if that person is already in the system, we can locate them using that. That’s the primary focus here.”

You can contact Indiana State Police using the dedicated hotline (833) 466-2653. This is a recorded line, so leave your name, phone number, the name of your missing relative, and the city/county from which they were reported missing.

You can also send information to ispcoldcase@isp.in.gov.