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Request
Q1. I am writing to request the following data for these specific cases retrieved from the National Crime Agency, UK Missing Persons Unit database for Unidentified victims in your police force. This data will be used in a doctoral research relating to cold case investigations involving unidentified individuals. The purpose of the study is to collect data from different cases that involve unidentified individuals and to create a database that could provide an understanding of what forensic techniques are being used, whether they are being used effectively and what other techniques can be used to improve the investigations of cold cases in general.
I would be extremely grateful if you could fill out the information presented below in response to this FOI request. If a case that you present is required to be anonymous, can you please mention a code that will be used instead? If there is no retrievable information for the case, can you please mention why?
If you are considering presenting the information in the form of a spreadsheet, can you please follow the same format of the questions in the table below? You can also copy paste the questions below for each case and present the information in a document as well.
Cases in question:
03-001916
06-025960
Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.
Case 03-001916
1. No anonymous code applied.
2. Not ascertained.
3. Enquiries have been made to establish DNA profile (established). Head reconstruction.
4. Yes.
5. Familial DNA comparison with relatives of purported identifications.
6. The only results have been the elimination of potential identities for the remains.
7. Please see below*.
8. Scientific experts were consulted in regard to tidal movements, facial reconstruction and the development and comparison of DNA samples.
9. No.
Case 06-025960
1. No anonymous code applied
2. Not ascertained.
3. Remains recovered before routine use of DNA, subsequent attempt to establish DNA from postmortem in accordance with the Human Tissue Act was unsuccessful in establishing a DNA profile.
4. Yes.
5. We were unable to identify any positive lines of enquiry from known details.
6. No.
7. Please see below*.
8. Attempt made to establish DNA profile from degraded postmortem samples.
9. No.
*This part of your request is not based on recorded information pursuant to Section 8(1)(c) of the Freedom of Information Act, the request must ‘clearly describe the information being sought’, and refer to ‘records capable of recovery in any form’. This can be ‘recorded information held in written records, typed, handwritten, emails etc’. The request you have submitted does not ask for specific information, instead, it asks for opinion or judgement on the outcome of investigations.
Please note that we have interpreted your request around ‘forensic’ techniques and enquiries to mean scientific techniques and expertise and the information given above details the scientific enquiries made and expertise sought from individuals with expert knowledge on specific issues of relevance to the inquiries.
Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data. It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.