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Tag: MUHR
Forensics TTA

University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) Resources Webinar

This webinar focuses on the resources offered for missing and unidentified persons cases through the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI). Presented by UNTHCHI team members Mark Pooley, Dixie Peters, and Robert Moore, this webinar includes guidance on submitting samples for DNA analysis, utilizing Forensic Genetic Genealogy in your casework, and accessing UNTCHI resources for sexually motivated Jane and John Doe homicide cases and indigenous missing and unidentified persons cases.
April 2025
Events

3rd Annual BJA Forensics Programs Grantees Meeting

On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Forensics Training and Technical Assistance (Forensics TTA) Team, led by RTI International, is hosting the 3rd Annual BJA Forensics Programs Grantees Meeting on June 9-10, 2025! 

This year’s virtual meeting will offer a series of educational case studies and sessions, covering key topics of significant interest to grantees across the BJA Forensics Programs. These include the application of forensic genetic genealogy in wrongful conviction investigations, innovative strategies for solving long-term missing and unidentified person cases, the evolving legal landscape for forensic evidence in light of Smith v. Arizona, implementing Rapid DNA technology in accordance with upcoming standards updates, the impact of turnaround times on death investigations, essential grant management practices, and more.

Program-specific breakout discussions will also be featured to provide grantees with a unique opportunity to learn more from respective BJA staff and other grantees. 

March 2025
Forensics TTA

FY2024 Grantee Orientation Webinar – Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program

This webinar features the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) introducing the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program grantees to the overall BJA team that works collectively to administer their award funds including the BJA Policy Office and BJA Programs Office. This webinar provides useful training and information on how to accept awards; how to submit progress reports and Grant Award Modifications; and provides other information/best practices to support the award management and grant monitoring activities of this project. This webinar also introduces the Forensics TTA team and how this TTA program aims to support MUHR grantees.
March 2025
Forensics TTA

Texas State University’s Operation Identification: Numbers to Names

This webinar offers an in-depth look at Texas State University’s (TSU’s) Operation Identification (OpID) project and its mission to investigate, identify, and repatriate unidentified human remains (UHRs) discovered near the South Texas border. During this webinar, the presenter explores how OpID addresses gaps in medicolegal death investigations, manages UHRs, and fosters collaboration across jurisdictions and internationally. This session also highlights OpID’s ongoing efforts to connect families with their missing loved ones, shedding light on the critical work being done to support these investigations.

Dr. Kate Spradley is the Director of OpID and a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at TSU. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in 2000 and completed her PhD at the University of Tennessee in 2006. As a biological anthropologist, Dr. Spradley’s research focuses on human biological variation, forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and quantitative methods.

September 2024
Forensics TTA

A Guide to Resources for Unidentified Human Remains Investigations

Every year, thousands of unidentified human remains (UHRs) are found across the United States, which poses a challenge for the law enforcement and medical examiners/coroners tasked with identifying these individuals and resolving the cases. UHR investigations are complex and require specialized skills and resources, such as forensic anthropology, DNA analysis, fingerprint record searches, dental coding and comparisons, facial reconstruction, and the use of missing persons databases and investigative resources. However, many agencies lack the necessary training, equipment, funding, or personnel to conduct these investigations effectively and efficiently. As a result, many UHR cases remain unresolved for years or decades, leaving families and communities without resolution and justice. This guide aims to provide agencies with information on federal programs and other organizational resources that offer support to these types of investigations.
September 2024
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Highlights

Remains identified in decades-old Oklahoma cold case

On May 5, 1983, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigate the suspicious disappearance of 19-year-old Melody Ann Jones who was a member of The Muscogee (Creek) Nation. That morning, Melody Ann Jones did not show up to work and a family member went by her residence to check on her. Her husband, 20-year-old Paul Richard Jones, was discovered deceased inside the home. It was determined he sustained injuries consistent with homicide. Melody Ann Jones was not located at the scene and was reported missing. Investigators searched the surrounding area on foot and horseback, covering 160 acres, while a helicopter covered 6-square miles. Investigators found no sign of Jones or any evidence. In October of 1998, skeletal remains were discovered in rural Seminole County and were transported to the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The Oklahoma OCME recently acquired the necessary resources needed for additional testing. This additional testing was conducted by the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) at Fort Worth through their Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program grant; Purpose Area 3 (services to assist small, rural, and/or tribal entities on a national scale). UNTHSC MUHR funding was used to obtain DNA from the skeletal remains which hit to family reference samples in Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). On August 7, 2024, the remains were positively identified as Melody Ann Jones.
August 2024

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