Missing Persons Day event provides resources for those searching for loved ones in Brooklyn
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with the Brooklyn Borough President's Office, which held the event at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
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Brooklyn held its first-ever Missing Persons Day event on Tuesday to provide support and resources to get families and friends of missing loved ones a step closer to closure.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with the Brooklyn Borough President's Office, which held the event at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
At no cost to residents, Chief Medical Examiner Jason Graham says families are able to take part in an in-depth interview offered in different languages and can provide DNA samples that are collected and put into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database.
That database is free and accessible to the public, who can review cases of unidentified persons across the city.
For over a decade, the NYC OCME says the event has served hundreds of families and helped identify dozens of missing or unidentified people.
Graham says while DNA sample collection is crucial, in-depth interviews about the missing person also play a role in getting answers.
"It collects as much information as we possibly can, not only about the relationships of those family members who are survivors and who are missing the person, but also details about the person, about their life, that would be clues to help us potentially put investigative leads together," he said.
He says what makes the search for missing people successful is the partnership between different city agencies such as the NYPD, the NYC Department of Health and nonprofits such as the Red Cross.
"We have a growing number of young women who have continually been abducted, sometimes in neighborhoods, sometimes taken far away. We have a growing number of seniors with dementia who are wandering off and go missing,"
Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman said. "It's important that families get some sort of support."
Brooklyn residents in search of a loved one are encouraged to make an appointment. You can call (212)-323-1201 or visit NYC.GOV/OCME for more information.
