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anything like that. We try to find anything that can lead to an ID.” These clues aren’t always present, and when they are they are usually worn and weatherbeaten. Ripped, faded clothing or a work boot caked in dirt. A ripped paystub. A child’s folded drawing yellowed by the sun. Sometimes, there’s nothing left but bones and dirt. Forensic files When the initial search doesn’t turn up any information, forensic anthropologist Courtney Koppenhaver-Astrom steps in. “When looking at the skeletal remains, I’m trying to assess whether or not the person was male or female, how old they were, how tall they were, their ancestral background,” she said. “But then, also, is there any trauma, any signs of disease on the bones, missing teeth, anything that can be identifying.” That process can take several hours. From there, a biological profile is created and eventually entered onto the DOJ’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, better known as NamUs. Unfortunately, that’s where many cases go cold. While there is a national database main- tained by the FBI for fingerprints, none exist for dental records or even DNA. “Dentists are only required to keep their records for seven years,” Dodt said. “Also, we have databases where DNA can be put into, but it’s not like everyone’s DNA is magically there.” Often, the only reason a DNA sample may exist is if a family member submitted DNA for testing or if a person with a criminal record already had their fingerprints and DNA logged. When DNA is obtained, analyzed and still turns up nothing, an investigative genetic genealogist may take the helm. Last resort Cairenn Binder has worked with DNA Doe Project and Coast to Coast Genetic Genealogy Services for years to help solve cases of unidentified remains across the country. For some of the hundreds of unidentified deceased in Pinal County, she’s the last resort. It can be like finding a needle in a haystack. But she’s done it before. “The DNA profile is uploaded to two databases, and I get two outputs: an ethnicity report of some sort and a genetic match list,” she said.
Medicolegal Investigators Courtney Koppenhaver-Astrom (left) and Suzi Dodt stand in front of the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florence Feb. 6.
MISSING AND MURDERED
Bones and dirt These local cases of unidentified remains often play out like the opening scene of a Law & Order episode. Hunters, hikers or ATV riders stumble across skeletal remains during an outing in the desert. They rarely encounter a complete skeleton or a decomposing body because of the harsh climate. Instead, skulls, femurs or other bones are found scattered near remote trails, in dry washes or along roads. The remains are reported to local law enforcement, which initiate the investigation and turn it over to the county medical examiner. PCMEO contracts with cities and towns Indigenous people across the country as of mid-February. In Arizona, 83 went missing from 1956 to 2023. In Pinal County, six. Meanwhile, social media posts about missing children and adults proliferate on dedicated pages like “Indian Country’s Missing” or “MMIP in AZ & NM.” Updates on those found safe aren’t always provided. Missing and murdered Indigenous people have made headlines in the U.S. and Canada in recent years, particularly women and girls. Some call it a crisis based on centuries of violence and disenfranchisement. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs reports more than 84% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. But the numbers of those who went missing are underreported and vary widely across platforms. For example, BIA lists 33 Indigenous people missing across the country, including five in Arizona, on its missing and murdered cases website. However, the department also estimates there may be as many as 4,200 missing and murdered cases that have gone unsolved. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System cited 853 missing
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across the county as well as with the Gila River Indian Community, but not with the Ak-Chin Indian Community. It begs the question of why — as of publication time, Ak-Chin member Joy Antone is still missing after nearly two months. She went missing Jan. 8 but Ak-Chin Police Department didn’t notify the community until Jan. 26. Ak-Chin spokesperson Matthew Benson did not respond to several requests for comment. These are the situations PCMEO wants to avoid. “We bring everything found at the scene back to the office,” Dodt said. “We’ll search the clothing to see if there’s anything in the pockets, in the waistband, sewn into the clothing,
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HELPFUL WEBSITES
DNAsolves.com – Allows users to contribute DNA to a national database to help solve John and Jane Doe cases GEDMatch.com – Allows users to contribute DNA to a national database NamUs.gov – A national database and resource center for missing, unidentified and unclaimed persons cases across the country HumaneBorders.info – Interactive migrant mortality map
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