PHYSICAL EVIDENCE MANUAL - Crime Scene Investigator Network

Physical Evidence Manual
Adopted: May 2002
Revisions: 6
Last Revision: January 31, 2008
26.0 UNIDENTIFIED REMAINS
Refer to ORS Chapter 146 - Investigations of Deaths, Injuries and Missing
Persons.
Unidentified Remains:
• “Unidentified human remains” do not include human remains that are part
of an archaeological site or suspect of being Native American.
Archaeological remains are covered under ORS chapters 97 and 390 and
OSR 358.905 to 358.961.
• All unidentified human remains will be initially processed by the Medical
Examiner’s Office. The Forensic Laboratory will not accept human
remains in any form from any agency other than the Medical Examiner’s
office.
• Skeletal remains may be mailed to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s
Office for anthropological exam. All agencies must contact the OSP-ME
Anthropology Section for instructions prior to sending the remains. Call
917-673-8200.
• All investigative processes (e.g. dental record comparison, pt.
history/healed fracture comparisons, personal effects) will be utilized in
order to identify remains before DNA analysis will be attempted. If the
remains are not identified after these processes, they will be sent to either
the FBI or UNT for Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA analysis. The decision
for DNA analysis will be made by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s
Office.
Contact information:
DNA Collection kits, University of North Texas, (1-800-763-3147)
Oregon State Medical Examiners Office.
13309 SE 84 th Avenue, Suite 100
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
Phone 971-673-8200
Additional online resources:
(http://www.namus.gov/) : This is a line to the National Missing and Unidentified
Persons System, NamUs, is the first national online repository for missing
persons records and unidentified decedent cases. It was launched in July 2007
by the Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice.
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