Mass Disaster DNA Identification

After a mass disaster or conflict, families and communities are left with uncertainty and often without answers. Identification becomes more difficult when remains are fragmented, intermixed or decades old.

Sorenson Forensics helps resolve these cases through specialized and advanced DNA testing. Our scientists work with both recent and historical remains, including severely degrades samples, to identify missing persons and unidentified remains.

Sorenson Forensics has a long history of humanitarian identification work.

• Vietnam War missing in actions (MIAs) – We have supported Vietnamese scientists and authorities as they work to identify their own war dead using DNA testing methods suited for degraded remains recovered from the acidic, tropical soil. The Vietnam War ended 50 years yet thousands of Vietnamese families are still searching for loved ones. Watch this news report from Al Jazeera for coverage of our involvement in this process. 
• Support for U.S. military efforts – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is the government program that locates and identifies missing U.S. service members from past conflicts, including the Vietnam War. The Sorenson Forensics lab has contributed its DNA expertise to this mission for challenging cases with degraded remains.
• 2004 Thailand tsunami – Sorenson Forensics played a significant role in the DNA testing and victim identification following the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. The laboratory uses advanced instrumentation and genetic analysis for DNA sequencing and other genomic services.
• Degraded and historical remains – Our lab has worked with samples that have been buried, exposed to environmental extremes or stored for decades, where only a small amount of DNA is recoverable.

We offer DNA testing and consulting for:

• Mass disaster and mass casualty events
• Natural disasters and transportation accidents
• Conflict-related deaths and historical human remains
• Unidentified crime victims
• Missing person and unidentified remains (see our Bone Testing page)

Mass disaster and missing persons identifications require quality and defensible results. Sorenson Forensics is accredited by ANAB ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and maintains compliance with FBI Quality Assurance Standards for forensic DNA testing.