Y'town cops seeking relatives of missing persons

YOUNGSTOWN

The police department is seeking relatives of several long-time missing people to get DNA samples from them.

Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney said the department has people listed as missing as far back as 1985.

The department is teaming up with the National Missing And Unidentified Persons System, or NAMUS.

The department will provide any DNA samples to NAMUS that can be used in the future in case a set of remains is found or if someone with no identification shows up at a hospital or law-enforcement agency so they can be identified.

Sweeney said people go missing for a variety of reasons, and sometimes when they return neither they nor the person who reported them missing contact police to say they are safe.

“It’s all over the board when you look at these,” Sweeney said as to why people go missing.

One of the department’s oldest cases is that of Marcel Byers, who has been missing since 1988.

Read more about the matter in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.