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| Key West 28 UID's exhumed for DNA | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 26 2007, 01:56 PM (1,037 Views) | |
| Ell | Nov 26 2007, 01:56 PM Post #1 |
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Heart of Gold
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Key West's dead raised to learn their secretsStory Highlights DNA collected from remains of seven unidentified bodies in Key West Authorities hope DNA database can match up with that of missing persons Mother of girl missing since 1974 prompted exhumations Her daughter's body was not among those exhumed Next Article in U.S. » Read VIDEO By Rich Phillips CNN KEY WEST, Florida (CNN) -- At the historic Key West Cemetery, the remains of seven unknown souls were exhumed recently from a pauper's crypt. The Monroe County Medical Examiner's office is seeking clues to help identify seven bodies. 1 of 3 No one said cutting through 20 years of concrete and silence would be easy. But it was a necessary step toward some day, possibly, giving names to the dead. Members of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in Florida collected DNA samples to be entered into the FBI's National Missing Persons DNA database. The hope is that a family member might have voluntarily submitted DNA to the database, looking for a long-lost loved one. If so, an identification could be made, bringing peace to a family. In all, there are 28 unidentified bodies buried in the Florida Keys. Watch authorities crack open vault » Some of the bodies have been buried for more than a quarter of a century. Investigators already have determined that none of the deceased originally lived in the Florida Keys. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. "We have no starting place. We don't know who they are. We don't know who they were associated with," Sheriff Rick Roth said. Medical examiner's officials took careful measures to insure the privacy of the deceased. At times, they raised blue tarps to prevent news organizations from photographing the remains as they were removed from the disintegrating caskets. Once exhumed, the skeletal remains were taken to a private area where the DNA samples were collected. "We're removing the skull, we're removing portions of the pelvis," explained Monroe County Medical Examiner Michael Hunter. "The skull is helpful in determining age, sex, and race; the pelvis is helpful in determining age." Forensic investigators also are hoping to retrieve mitochondrial DNA, known as mtDNA, which is inherited from the mother. This type of DNA allows a sample to be compared with that of a mother, a brother or a sister, because all have the same mtDNA. The skulls will be shipped to anthropologists in Florida and in the midwest for analysis and facial reconstruction. One of the unidentified bodies was an infant's. Another belonged to a female suicide victim. "She was known around town as Cinnamon, but nobody knew her real name," said Det. Sgt. Patricia Dally, who's in charge of cold cases. "A lot of the Keys people use nicknames or street names and you could know someone for 20 years and never really know their full name," she said. The first body removed was that of a murder victim. His head and torso were found on different beaches during the summer of 1987. Investigators call him "Barnacle Bill" after the barnacles found on his shoes. The medical examiner believed he was about 6 feet tall, possibly African-American, and was in his late 20s or early 30s. Solving a murder case that old would be difficult at best, Roth said, especially in a transient area like the Florida Keys. "Very difficult. Twenty years old. The witnesses are gone. The people are gone," he said. Mercedes Cruz has been looking for her daughter, Teresa, since 1974. She submitted her DNA to the FBI database in hopes of one day finding her. Watch a mother's fight for answers » Teresa's body was not among the remains, but it was her case that prompted the Key West authorities to exhume the seven people and get their DNA into the system. "There's hope. Without the DNA, I don't think anything can be done, to be honest," Cruz said. Cruz last saw her 12-year-old daughter, Teresa Alfonso, on a Saturday in September, 33 years ago. She dropped Teresa and a friend, Cindy Gooding, off at the movies in Marathon, Florida. It was the first time she'd let them go by themselves, she said. They were last seen leaving the theater, which today is used as a storage facility. Cruz doesn't think her daughter is alive. "I don't know what else to do," she said as tears brimmed. "I left it in God's hands. I've just got a feeling that I'm going to find her and I pray every single day, 'God, please, if she's with you, let me know, and if she's here, please let me find her before I leave," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Nationwide, the FBI estimates that more than 60,000 remains are unidentified in the United States. The FBI began the missing persons database in 2001. But it stores only 1,500 unidentified remains, and only about 3,600 relatives of missing persons have submitted DNA. "I just simply think it's under-utilized because there's a lack of knowledge of the program," said Eric Pokorak, an FBI forensic examiner and the Missing Persons Program manager. "We're trying to reach out to both family members and the local law enforcement community to make them [aware] of the service that's available to them." The FBI says this lack of knowledge about the program is one of the main reasons why the database has had only three positive hits since its inception. Mercedes Cruz says more families need to do this so they can put their own lives to rest. "It was a cotton swab in the mouth, and they did it in my cheek ... No hurting. No nothing," she said. After several hours of work, cemetery workers, police investigators and forensic examiners bowed their heads as they prepared to re-bury the dead. Chaplain Steven Torrence of the Key West Police Department kneeled down and placed his hand on top of one of the caskets in the open crypt. "We thank you for the generosity of those who are here," he said. "We pray, oh God, that closure would be brought and that loved ones would be notified and people would be at peace." http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/26/dna.keys/ |
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Ell Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten. | |
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| luvmycat | Nov 26 2007, 07:28 PM Post #2 |
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Sneezy!
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This is excellent news! Hope they can be ID'd |
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Albert Einstein: The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. ![]() http://icaremissingpersonscoldcases.yuku.com/ | |
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| truthseeker | Nov 28 2007, 08:47 AM Post #3 |
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Advanced Member
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I am wondering what the chances are that 2 of them could be Diana Lynn Harris or Tom Stump? |
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Debbie Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia | |
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| Christine | Jan 2 2009, 01:42 PM Post #4 |
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Newbie
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Det. Sgt. Patricia Dally in the article mentioned above is in charge of my Mom's case. I have been told that she is friends to the local radio host Bill Becker, I know the Sheriff is also. Becker is married to Tom Stump's 1995 wife. This lady lived with Tom when he disappeared as well as my Mom in 1981. I do not believe with Dally in charge of my Mom's case that it'll ever get solved. The Sheriff elect is a good friend to Becker and the Sheriff now, Sheriff Roth. Bill interviews different political figures on his radio show often, including the Sheriff, and most in the Keys vote for the ones he likes. The head of elections Harry Sawyer Jr. worked on my Mom's case in 1981...go figure!! I still keep hope...with God anything is possible!! Christine |
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| Christine | Jan 2 2009, 02:26 PM Post #5 |
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Newbie
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the show they did on the unidentified's in the Key West Cemetary made me sick. They were told they had to do this and then when they did they sounded as if they cared so very much for the missing and unidentified, they sure don't my Mom or Tom Stump. I asked them recently if they could ad a site on their Sheriff's website that showed missing and unidentified persons, asked them for a link on their site. They knew who I was when I asked and knew I was asking for my Mom and Tom Stump as well. Sgt. Becky Herrin who was asked about my Mom's case by a local news guy is who is in charge of this part, however I emailed the Sheriff about doing this and he sent my email to Sheriff elect Peryam and he sent it to her. She knows who I am. She said too bad she didn't think of this great idea, said she doesn't have time to think of everything. Wonder if she thought about it while she was being questioned about my Mom's case development or when they were resuming the bodies in Key West? She put a link to the National Missing and Exploited Children's site, end of that. When I told her who I was again, she still acted like she knew nothing about my Mom's case and asked me to refresh her. Still said it would take too long and she didn't have time. Christine |
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| monkalup | Jan 2 2009, 06:18 PM Post #6 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Oh Christine! I am so sorry to hear that you are being treated like that. You all deserve better than to be brushed off and ignored! ((hugs)) Maybe we can think of some ways to get something done. Anybody? |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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