In honor of Ohio Missing Persons Day, organized by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Battelle, families united on May 19 to remember their loved ones and talk to those who are working to find new leads in their cases.
During a vigil, the family and friends of Andy Chapman, Barbara Frame, Kayla Eitel, Amber Flack, Megan Lancaster, Wanda Lemons, Jacqueline Lombardi, Carla Losey, Rosemary Rapp, and Brian Shaffer lighted candles and said prayers for their missing loved ones.
In the lobby, representatives from agencies with a common goal — finding the missing — were available to talk about their work. Victim advocates, some with trained K-9s, offered comfort.
Family members were invited to provide DNA to help in their search for answers were invited to do so by BCI representatives. The DNA will be included in the Ohio LINK (Linking Individuals Not Known) Program, which was established through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in 1999 to help match DNA from family members of the missing to DNA from unidentified remains.
Scientists with Battelle were on hand to discuss massively parallel sequencing technology (MPS). MPS is an emerging DNA technology being researched at BCI in partnership with at Battelle to support missing persons investigations throughout Ohio.
Clay facial reconstruction models created by a BCI forensic artist and based on unidentified remains were on display in an effort to identify the unknown individuals.
To find out more
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office maintains webpages devoted to Ohio missing persons and unidentified human remains.
To read about, see photos of, or offer tips about missing persons, visit
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Ohio-Missing-Persons.
To read about, see likenesses of, or offer tips about unidentified human remains, visit
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/UnidentifiedRemains.
For help finding a missing person, file a missing person report with local police and call 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).