projects
our projects.
Forensic Human Identification Co. is collaborating with various organisations to contribute our forensic human identification (HID) expertise and resources in support of impactful projects that are driven by a humanitarian purpose, centred around social justice principles or aimed at advancing the forensic HID field.
DNA =
discover.
name.
answers.
Former Mother and Baby Institution, Tuam, Ireland
The Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, operated from 1925 to 1961 as a place where unmarried women were sent to give birth. During its operation, a high number of infant deaths were recorded.
Official death records indicate that nearly 800 infants and children died at the home, though burial records exist for only two of these individuals. In 2017, a test excavation authorised by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes confirmed the presence of commingled juvenile remains, which had been inappropriately buried in subsurface chambers at the site. In response to these findings, the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) was established in 2022 under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to facilitate the excavation, recovery and analysis of human remains at the site in line with international standards and best practices.
ODAIT’s multidisciplinary team of forensic specialists will endeavour to individualise and identify the recovered human remains and establish the cause and circumstances of death. Remains that are scientifically identified will be returned to their families, while unidentified remains will be given a dignified burial in consultation with families, survivors, advocates and others. We are engaged by ODAIT to provide forensic genetics expertise to support the Tuam intervention. This includes guiding ODAIT with respect to the large-scale, DNA-led identification process and assisting in the establishment of the Identification Program. This project will push the boundaries of forensic science through technically complex excavation and identification processes, alongside the use of emerging forensic technologies and critical communication strategies. The scientific challenges posed by this intervention make it a global first, with the potential to set a new paradigm for similar projects worldwide.
The Disappeared Project, Australia
The Disappeared Project is an Indigenous-led organisation providing culturally appropriate support and resources in pursuit of truth and justice for the families of disappeared First Nations people in Australia.
Co-founded by Gomeroi and Kooma woman Ginny Jones, Yuin human rights lawyer Martin Hodgson, Darumbal journalist Dr Amy McQuire and Wakka Wakka social worker Kevin Yow Yeh, it was established in response to the national crisis of murdered and disappeared First Nations women, men and children. The 2024 Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children highlighted this epidemic, reporting disproportionately high rates of violence, disappearance and homicide. Meanwhile, the remains of Indigenous persons lie in police holdings, public institutions and unmarked graves across the country, with many questions still unanswered about their provenance, age, identity and death.
Our collaboration with The Disappeared Project is grounded in a shared commitment to restore names, reunite families and resolve cases of unidentified and disappeared First Nations people. We provide independent forensic expertise and bespoke forensic technologies to help locate, identify and return missed loved ones to family and Country with dignity and respect. This includes community-driven and family-centred forensic review, search, testing, database and training services. We also engage and empower First Nations specialists and scientists to assist design and deliver our culturally informed practices. By combining Indigenous leadership and lived experience with an alliance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts, we aim to dismantle systemic barriers and resource inequities to more justly recognise, repatriate and remember First Nations people who have been murdered or disappeared.
Crime Stoppers International
Crime Stoppers International is a global non-profit organisation that supports communities and law enforcement to prevent, disrupt and solve crime. With a focus on cross-border criminal activity, it provides information to multinational agencies such as INTERPOL on crimes including human trafficking, illicit trade, wildlife crime, cybercrime and international fugitives.
We are partnering with Crime Stoppers International on a global initiative to connect forensic capabilities with the countries, communities and cases that need them most. By combining their reporting reach and international network with our interdisciplinary forensic expertise and human identification technologies, this project enhances operational responses to transnational missing persons, unidentified decedent and human trafficking cases, as well as victim identification and family reunification in humanitarian crises. This collaborative model will support law enforcement agencies and Crime Stoppers networks in identifying unknown deceased, missing persons, disaster victims and trafficking survivors through the deployment of technologies, development of resources and delivery of training.
By expanding access to emerging capabilities such as forensic investigative genetic genealogy and rapid DNA testing, we advance our social mission to make forensic human identification more equitable in areas where local resources are limited or strained. Together, we aim to strengthen law enforcement capabilities, support humanitarian forensics operations, build capacity for regional Crime Stoppers partners, deliver impactful community awareness initiatives and showcase best practices and forensic innovations in missing and unidentified persons investigations. Both organisations are committed to providing scientifically, ethically and culturally appropriate solutions centred on humanity and dignity, ensuring families and communities affected by unsolved disappearances have a pathway to truth and justice.
national First Nations unidentified & disappeared persons database.
Australia is facing a crisis of missing and murdered First Nations people, yet no national database exists to record or search these cases. There is no reliable measure of how many Aboriginal men, women and children have disappeared and no mechanism to compare these cases against unidentified human remains. Families have also never had a culturally appropriate way to provide information about their missed loved one or a family reference DNA sample.
We have partnered with Locate International to support The Disappeared Project in establishing Australia’s first community-led database documenting cases of disappeared First Nations people, alongside a voluntary family reference DNA program. The project brings together two complementary capabilities. The first is a centralised case database that captures vital information about disappeared First Nations people across Australia. Using Locate International’s secure QUEST platform and advanced analytical tools, the database can help to identify case links and new investigative leads. The second is a dedicated family reference DNA database developed by Forensic Human Identification Co. Families who choose to participate can provide a reference DNA sample for comparison with unidentified human remains where suitable DNA profiles are available. Together, they will create new opportunities to restore names, reunite families and resolve cases of unidentified and disappeared First Nations people.