A DNA sampling event hosted by local law enforcement agencies in the West Valley has led to 43 resolutions for families with missing loved ones over a five-year period.
On Saturday, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and other agencies hosted Missing in Arizona, which connects families with missing loved ones to resources, and can help find answers.
Suzi Dodt, investigations supervisor for the Pinal County Medical Examiner, said these resources help families find closure.
“It's very good to get those resolutions, regardless of what kind they are, the families are always glad to have the answers,” she said.
Family members could provide their own DNA at the event to try and find a match within national databases. They were also able to share dental records, photographs, medical records and fingerprints.
Dodt says a recent grant of about a half-million dollars has helped the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office find missing persons and host these kind of events.
-
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office and Glendale Police Department believe they’ve identified who killed Jim Chafin in 1987, resolving a nearly 40-year-old cold case. But questions about the circumstances surrounding Chafin’s death remain. -
The city of Tempe is considering an ordinance that would limit the use of automatic license plate readers. The proposal would also destroy all its existing ALPR data and penalize city staff for violations. -
A federal judge overseeing a long running racial profiling case against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office denied a request on Thursday to end oversight of the agency. -
The grand jury indictments of Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. list the same charges previously filed in direct complaints by prosecutors. -
Back in January, federal immigration agents raided each of the 14 Zipps Sports Grill locations across metro Phoenix. They were looking for undocumented workers and ended up arresting dozens of them.
