It is always astonishing to me when I read that a staggering 800,000+ people are reported missing on an annual basis and entered in to the  FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Additionally, the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics reports there are nearly 4,400 unidentified human bodies discovered every year nationwide as well.

Without a doubt, missing persons cases are truly among the most challenging assignments professional investigators face in their career.  There are many  tools available in the investigation of missing persons cases; all fifty states have missing person clearinghouses and some of them provide via their website’s search-able bulletins regarding missing persons, photos (if available),  descriptors of the missing person and other information regarding the missing persons’ case.

Now there is a free online national database recently introduced and available to the general public. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, also known as NAMUS.  This particular database contains information that has been entered by medical examiners and coroners nationwide. You can search the database by using descriptors such as sex, race, distinct body features and even dental information.

I find it to be a great source to assist the work and efforts of many individuals and organizations who investigate missing and unidentified persons.  The following video discusses the immediate impact is has had thus far:

For more information, visit http://www.namus.gov/.