The DNA donation event, which will take place in New Haven County, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16, according to the Connecticut State Police.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day at the University of New Haven, located at 300 Boston Post Road in West Haven, any person who has a missing loved one is encouraged to attend.
During the DNA Drive, families will be able to open a new missing persons case, update an existing one, or voluntarily donate their own DNA to add to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a missing or unidentified person database that collects samples from unidentified remains.
Only those biologically closest to the missing person (such as parents, siblings, and children) are encouraged to donate their DNA, as more similar DNA has a higher chance of matching with a missing person sample in CODIS.
Hosted by CSP, the University of New Haven, the Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection, and the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the event aims to help identify human remains that have been found in Connecticut.
The event sponsors have stressed that the DNA donated at the event will only be used against the CODIS system to identify current and future remains.
Additionally, Connecticut State Police will be available to take new reports of missing persons at the event.
Those who attend can also receive a family tree DNA kit for free if they wish to upload their DNA to a genetic genealogy database.
The DNA Drive will run at the University of New Haven on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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