The VIFM has a statutory function to identify every individual who comes into the care of the coroner, to enable the coroner to make a finding on the identity of the deceased.
To support this obligation, the Institute created a Missing Persons Technical Advisory Group.
This group comprises VIFM and Victoria Police members who work together to collect the relevant identification data for VIFM’s unidentified human remains (i.e., post-mortem data) and VicPol’s long-term missing person cases reported to the coroner (i.e., ante-mortem data).
The VIFM members of the group include Forensic Technical Services Manager Dr Jodie Leditschke, Head of Molecular Biology Dr Dadna Hartman, Forensic Anthropologist Dr Samantha Rowbotham, Head of Legal Fiona Leahy, Forensic Odontologist Dr Jan Jenkinson and Administrator Rachael Iosua.
The data collection comprises dental records, family reference DNA samples and other circumstantial and biological data that may be helpful for ID.
Collecting this post-mortem and ante-mortem data ensures we are doing everything possible to match/identify our cases of UHRs against VicPol’s list of LTMP and the broader Australian list of LTMPs. The group has facilitated the identification of long-term missing persons who have been missing for months and even decades.