NamUs: Making a Difference

The staggering number of missing and unidentified person cases in the United States has been deemed our nation's "Silent Mass Disaster." The sheer volume of these cases poses a significant challenge to law enforcement, medical examiners, coroners and family members searching to locate missing loved ones. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was created to improve access to information for the diverse community of criminal justice professionals and families who work on these cases, combining online case repositories with case management, forensic analyses and analytical resources. In NamUs: Making a Difference, some of these family members and criminal justice professionals share their experiences with NamUs and stress the importance of working together, across jurisdictional boundaries, to resolve our nation's Silent Mass Disaster. (Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)