Missing in Florida Day, free DNA drive/program for missing persons in Tampa, Oct. 19, 12:00 - 6:00 pm
The Florida Institute of Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at the University of South Florida (IFAAS-USF) and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office are hosting a free DNA drive - Missing in Florida Day - on October 19, 2023, 12:00 pm noon - 6:00 pm, at the Italian Club of Tampa located at 1731 E, 7th Ave. in Tampa, Florida 33605; phone (813) 248-3316.
The purpose of Missing in Florida Day is to raise awareness about people who are missing, enter missing persons cases into the system so they may be found and identified, and offer families an opportunity to provide biometric information to bring older cases up to current standards. This event will assist families and friends affected by the disappearance of a loved one, as well as students and professionals in the medicolegal field.
Expert resources will be available, such as law enforcement agencies from throughout the state, to take reports and collect identifying information. The event also presents the opportunity for free genealogical (DNA) testing.
In Florida, over 3,200 individuals are entered as Missing/Endangered in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), but only 1,726 of these are entered in NamUs.gov, and 647 are listed in the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC). Only NamUs.gov and MEPIC at https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MCICSearch/ are accessible by the public, resulting in over 2,000 Florida families being unable to access information on their loved one's case.
There are also over 900 unidentified "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" cases in Florida. Due to these cases not matching anyone in the missing persons database, they remain open. This can occur because reports were not filed or entered into the system, or because many cases are not up to current investigative standards and lack the essential biometric information, such as DNA, needed to make a match.
Missing in Florida Day will:
• Raise public awareness about the problem of missing and unidentified persons
• Open new missing person investigations, to include reports for families
• Collect identifiers such as DNA, fingerprints, dentals and photographs to help resolve open cases
• Re-open cases that were erroneously closed
• Give support to families in their search for loved ones
• Help families collect identifiers for their children in the event they go missing
• Provide information regarding Amber and Silver Alerts and identify possible high-risk victims
• Resolve and open cases when possible
Please bring this information of the missing person, if possible or available:
• Photographs
• Any prior police report and leads
• Dental or medical records
• Doctor or dentist information
• Multiple family members on the mother's side to give DNA samples to develop a profile.
"Missing in Florida Day is a significant step in the right direction to assist those families who are affected by the disappearance of a loved one. Unfortunately, Florida has over 3,000 cases of missing individuals - our goal is to provide an opportunity to re-open or close these cases and provide closure," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "I am excited for this chance to give families support that are searching for their loved ones, and raise awareness of the problem of missing and unidentified persons."
View a video regarding this event here: https://fb.watch/nIYYlb6V5d/.
Obtain additional information here: https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/institutes/ifaas/programs/index.aspx.
Oct. 19 Program Schedule:
12:00-12:45 pm
Erin Kimmerle, IFAAS-USF
Sheriff Michael Pendergast, Citrus County Sheriff's Office
Major Patrick Messmer, Tampa Police Department
Police Chief Anthony Holloway, St. Petersburg Police Department
12:45-1:00 pm
Sean Visners, J.D., Attorney General's Office, Statewide Prosectors Cold Case Unit
1:00-1:15 pm
Beth Celestini, Black and Missing Foundation
1:15-1:30 pm
Ryan Backman, Project Cold Case
1:30-1:45 pm
Loren O'Keeffe, The Missed Foundation
1:45-2:00 pm
Break
2:00-4:00 pm
Families of Missing Persons - Updates and Experiences
Drew Kesse, Joyce Kesse and Paul Sisco, parents of Jennifer Kesse, missing from Orlando, 01/23/2006
Sid and Hattie Crespo, parents of Joshua Simmons, missing from Tampa, 03/04/2022
Donna Pettis, daughter of Don Lewis, missing from Tampa, 08/18/1997
Iris Morton and Roxanne Burgess, family of Sandra Yeomans, missing from Thornotosassa, 05/28/1974
Joe Dages, family of Bonnie and Jeremy Dages, missing from Brandon, 04/28/1993
Detective Dan Bendig, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
3:45-4:00 pm
Break
4:00-4:30 pm
Bernadine Beyale, Navajo K-9s Searching for Missing People on Tribal Nations
4:30-4:45 pm
Detective Dave Nutting, Case Study in Collaboration to Identify a 1984 Murder Victim
4:45-5:00 pm
Closing Remarks and Discussion
Erin Kimmerle, IFAAS-USF
Sheriff Michael Pendergast, Citrus County Sheriff's Office