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.
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Officers who received the training included some from Sonora’s new border operations division.
