Two weeks after the deadly fires that ravaged the island of Maui, Hawaii authorities announced on Tuesday August 22 that they had still identified 1,100 missing people, according to a list drawn up by the FBI, the American federal police, which is calling for help. of their relatives to facilitate research.
These fires, the deadliest in a century in the United States, have killed at least 115 people, according to the latest provisional report. But this tragedy could turn out to be much heavier. Since the fire almost razed the tourist town of Lahaina, where 12,000 inhabitants resided, thousands of missing persons appear on various lists circulating on social networks or maintained by various authorities – police, Red Cross, shelters, etc. The FBI is now working to standardize this data.
“We are cross-checking all the lists so we can determine who is still truly missing,” Special Agent Steven Merrill told reporters. After examination, the federal police currently identify 1,100 missing persons, according to him. This number is “likely to increase”, he added, as the FBI is “still in the process of collecting additional data”. Monday evening, the mayor of Maui had thus reported only 850 missing.
The FBI has set up a dedicated phone number and encourages relatives of the missing to contact it. “We really need the public’s help,” Merrill insisted, explaining that some missing people are sometimes only identified by their first name on lists circulating online. In such cases, additional information, such as a surname or date of birth, can greatly help the federal police to locate the person or confirm their disappearance.
Authorities are doing their best to refine the data and hope to release a “verified list” of missing persons “in the coming days,” said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.
Collection of DNA samples
The FBI also employs agents to collect DNA samples from families of missing persons who cannot travel to Maui, wherever they are in the world. Because the identification of the unrecognizable corpses found in the ashes of Lahaina is laborious. Of the 115 victims identified, only 27 have been identified so far.
Having the DNA of the family of the missing is “a crucial step in identifying” the victims, said Julie French, vice-president of ANDE, the company in charge of these operations. “Nearly three-quarters of the remains that have been DNA tested so far have yielded searchable results,” she said. But without family DNA to compare this data to, the process is futile.
Only 104 DNA samples have been collected so far and authorities want to dispel any reluctance. “DNA profiles are not retained by the FBI” or local law enforcement, Maui County District Attorney Andrew Martin said. “The only reason they will be used is to help identify missing persons. »
