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Families in the United States usually begin by contacting the law-enforcement agency investigating the disappearance, or the medical examiner or coroner handling unidentified remains, and asking about a Family Reference Sample (FRS). Criminal-justice personnel—not relatives acting alone—collect and submit that sample for comparison through the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and the National DNA Index System (NDIS/CODIS). A family member cannot self-collect a sample and upload it to CODIS.
The process is voluntary. Investigators may also be able to use a personal item belonging to the missing person, and a separate, optional investigative-genetic-genealogy route may involve a consumer DNA test and an opt-in genealogy database. That route does not replace official FRS collection or CODIS processing.
What should a family do first?
Make sure the disappearance has been reported to the appropriate agency, then ask that agency specifically about DNA collection for a missing-person or unidentified-remains case. The DNA Doe Project’s family guidance recommends filing with the law-enforcement agency where the person last lived; if that is unclear, contact the local police department or sheriff. Ask whether the case has an active NamUs record and whether the agency has entered or confirmed the relevant unidentified-person record.
Have the case number, the missing person’s full identifying information, and your relationship to that person ready when you call. Ask for the investigator, evidence officer, or agency contact who handles NamUs and DNA submissions. Families can also ask a NamUs regional administrator or program staff for help through the investigating agency.
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A practical sequence
- Confirm the report. If no report exists, make one with the agency that has jurisdiction. If another agency already has the case, ask which agency is the official submitting authority.
- Ask for an FRS appointment. Use the phrase “Family Reference Sample” and ask which relatives should provide samples and where collection will occur.
- Ask about a direct reference item. Investigators may know of a personal item belonging to the missing person that could provide a direct comparison sample. The agency must evaluate and handle that item as evidence.
- Ask about related records. Dental records, medical records, photographs, fingerprints, and other identifying information can support an identification. The DNA Doe Project says dental comparison can be cheaper and faster than DNA comparison in some cases; that is its guidance, not a universal promise.
- Review the consent form before signing. Confirm what analysis is authorized, which index will receive the profile, and how withdrawal requests work.
- Keep contact details current. Tell the investigating agency or NamUs partner if your address, telephone number, or email changes.
Who should provide a family reference sample?
NamUs says first-degree relatives— a parent, full sibling, or biological child—are generally the most useful for short-tandem-repeat (STR) comparisons. Its guidance recommends samples from at least two family members and says one should be a maternal relative when available. Tell investigators exactly whether a sibling is a full sibling, maternal half-sibling, or paternal half-sibling; that relationship affects how the laboratory interprets the comparison.
Do not assume that the oldest or closest-feeling relative is automatically the best donor. Provide the family tree information the agency requests, including biological relationships and any adoption, donor-conception, or half-sibling details known to the family. The NamUs DNA Sample Collection Form is designed to record the donor’s identity and relationship and asks for at least one maternal relative when possible.
If no first-degree relative is available, tell the agency what relatives are available rather than arranging a private collection. Investigators can determine whether additional relatives or another type of reference material would be useful for the particular case.
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Can a family member collect or submit their own DNA to CODIS?
No. NamUs states: “A family member cannot collect or submit personal DNA samples for profiling and upload to CODIS.” Criminal-justice personnel verify the donor’s identity, collect the sample, and request testing through the assigned NamUs regional administrator and laboratory.
This rule protects chain of custody and makes the profile suitable for an official forensic comparison. A consumer cheek-swab kit mailed to a company is not an FRS submission, even if the person testing is a parent or sibling. Contact the case agency before buying a test or sending any material.
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What does the official FRS process involve?
The agency schedules an identity-verified collection, usually using the current NamUs paperwork and the laboratory’s procedures. The donor reads the consent language, provides the sample, and confirms the relationship to the missing person. The consent form authorizes DNA analysis, entry into the Relatives of Missing Persons Index of CODIS, and searching against the Unidentified Persons Index.
NamUs describes the donation as voluntary. Ask the collector to explain any local form, the laboratory that will receive the sample, and who can answer questions about withdrawal. Keep a copy of the signed paperwork and the case number for your records.
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Where does the family profile go, and what is it compared with?
NamUs says an FRS profile is uploaded to the Relatives of Missing Persons Index and searched against the Unidentified Human Index in CODIS. It is not searched against CODIS criminal indices for convicted offenders or unknown suspects. The profile is used to look for a kinship relationship to an unidentified person or unidentified remains, not to create a general criminal-investigation profile.
NamUs also says genetic profiles used in these investigations are not stored in NamUs itself. The laboratory and CODIS systems handle the profile under the applicable program rules. Read the current consent form and ask the agency or regional administrator case-specific privacy questions before donating.
How long are reference profiles kept?
According to the NamUs FAQ, a family reference profile remains available until the missing person is identified, the donor is determined not to be related, or the donor requests removal in writing. A donor may request removal in writing at any time.
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After a confirmed identification, profiles are removed. NamUs notes an exception for cases involving partial remains when laboratory personnel believe the profile could assist with later recoveries; a donor can still request removal in writing. Ask where to send that request and keep proof that it was received.
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How long does DNA testing take?
NamUs lists an expected laboratory turnaround of 120 calendar days after the case is approved and the sample is submitted to the assigned laboratory. This is an estimate for the laboratory stage, not a guaranteed end-to-end identification timeline. Sample type, sample quality, additional testing, case complexity, and the time needed to obtain records or review a potential match can change the schedule. See the NamUs DNA services guidance for the current program description.
Ask the agency when it considers the case “approved” and when the sample was actually shipped. If the estimate passes, request a status update from the investigator or NamUs regional contact rather than submitting a duplicate sample independently.
What if the case is not listed in NamUs?
Public users can enter missing- or unidentified-person information into NamUs, but a public entry is vetted with the investigating agency before it appears as an official public record. If you cannot find the case, ask the agency to confirm the spelling, jurisdiction, record status, and whether privacy or investigative concerns limit what is displayed.
The National Institute of Justice overview of NamUs explains that the program supports families, law-enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners. A missing-person record and an unidentified-remains record may be handled by different agencies, so ask which agency owns each part of the case and make sure they can exchange the DNA and dental information.
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Can investigators use a personal item from the missing person?
Sometimes. Ask whether the agency has a personal item that can serve as a direct reference sample. A direct reference from the missing person can be more straightforward than inferring identity through relatives, but the item must be authenticated, handled, and tested under the agency’s evidence procedures. Do not mail an item to a private laboratory without first documenting it with investigators; doing so can compromise its evidentiary value or create uncertainty about whose biological material is present.
What is the optional investigative-genetic-genealogy route?
Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) is separate from CODIS. The DNA Doe Project says it works with law enforcement on unidentified-remains cases and does not work directly on missing-person cases. Its family guidance describes an optional route in which a relative takes a direct-to-consumer DNA test and uploads the results to an opt-in matching database for investigative genealogists to analyze.
Examples named in that guidance include consumer tests from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage, and upload destinations such as DNA Justice, GEDmatch, and FamilyTreeDNA. Availability, consent settings, retention practices, and terms can change, so the individual must read the current terms before testing or uploading. Opt in only if you understand who may search the data, whether law-enforcement matching is permitted, and how to delete the account or data.
An IGG upload does not place the profile in CODIS and does not satisfy the agency’s FRS requirement. Families should pursue the official agency collection in parallel and tell investigators if a relative is considering an upload, so the case history and consent decisions are documented.
How do CODIS and genealogy databases differ?
| Question | Official FRS/CODIS path | Optional IGG path |
|---|---|---|
| Who collects or handles the material? | Criminal-justice personnel verify identity, collect the FRS, and submit it through NamUs procedures. | A relative uses a consumer test and personally controls any upload to a participating database. |
| Where does the profile or data go? | The Relatives of Missing Persons Index and a search against the Unidentified Human Index in CODIS. | An opt-in genealogy database under that service’s current terms. |
| What comparison does it support? | Official forensic kinship comparison for missing and unidentified-person cases. | Genealogical relationship research that may generate investigative leads for law enforcement. |
| What consent applies? | NamUs and laboratory consent forms, including rules for retention and written removal requests. | The consumer test provider’s terms and the upload database’s opt-in, privacy, and deletion controls. |
What other information should a family gather?
DNA is only one part of an identification effort. Ask the agency whether it has dental charts and X-rays, medical records, fingerprints, distinctive surgical information, and recent photographs. Dental records can be particularly valuable when remains are recovered, and the DNA Doe Project specifically highlights dental comparison as a potentially faster and less expensive approach than DNA comparison in some cases.
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Provide accurate relationship information and identify which records are originals, copies, or recollections. If a dentist, hospital, school, employer, or previous jurisdiction holds records, ask the investigator what release or authorization is required rather than sending sensitive records to an unrelated party.
What should donors ask before signing?
- Which agency and laboratory will collect and process the sample?
- Is this an FRS for the Relatives of Missing Persons Index, and which unidentified-person index will be searched?
- Will the profile be searched against any criminal index? NamUs says FRS profiles are not searched against the criminal indices.
- How will the agency record my biological relationship, including whether a sibling is maternal or paternal half-sibling?
- How long is the profile expected to remain, and where must a written removal request be sent?
- When was the sample submitted, and what event starts the estimated 120-day laboratory period?
- Who will update me if the case status, contact person, or testing plan changes?
What if the agency cannot answer immediately?
Ask for the case supervisor, evidence custodian, medical examiner or coroner’s office, or the NamUs regional administrator assigned to the jurisdiction. Write down each contact, the date of the request, and the case number. If a sample was already collected, ask whether it was accepted by the laboratory, whether the case was approved, and whether additional or higher-quality material is needed.
Do not send duplicate samples to multiple services without coordinating with the agency. Duplicate or privately collected material can create avoidable privacy, chain-of-custody, and interpretation problems. Keep the official FRS process, any direct-reference item, dental records, and any optional genealogy upload clearly separated in your family’s records.
Does this process apply outside the United States?
The procedure described here is the U.S. NamUs/CODIS pathway. Other countries use different databases, consent rules, laboratories, and law-enforcement authorities. If the disappearance or recovery occurred outside the United States, contact the responsible national or regional police and forensic authority and ask which family-reference program applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one relative submit a sample, or are two required?
NamUs recommends samples from at least two relatives, but the investigating agency determines what the case needs. If only one suitable donor is available, tell the agency rather than delaying contact; it can document the limitation and advise whether another relationship or a direct reference item is needed.
Does a maternal half-sibling count as the recommended maternal relative?
Tell the collector precisely which parent the donor shares with the missing person. NamUs asks agencies to distinguish maternal and paternal half-siblings because the relationship affects how a laboratory evaluates the comparison; the agency can decide whether an additional donor would strengthen the reference set.
Can I change my mind after the sample is collected?
NamUs says a donor may request removal of the profile in writing at any time. Keep the case number and a copy of the consent form, then ask the collecting agency or NamUs regional administrator for the correct written-request process and confirmation that the request was completed.
Will a consumer DNA upload automatically be searched by CODIS?
No. A consumer test uploaded to an opt-in genealogy database remains separate from CODIS and does not create an official Family Reference Sample. The family must still arrange identity-verified collection through the investigating agency if it wants the case considered in the NamUs/CODIS pathway.
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