1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: We know that National Missing Person's Week it raises awareness 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: of the significant issues surrounding missing persons right around Australia 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: and this year the focus is on unidentified human remains 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: and the importance of identifying those remains to provide closure 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: to families and loved ones. Now joining me in the 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 1: studio to tell us a little bit more is Detective 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: Sergeant Toby Wilson. Good morning to you, Toby. 8 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, and good morning to your listeners. 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: And we have also got Detective Senior Constable Joe Ane 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: link Later, Good morning to you, Joe, good morning. Great 11 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: to have you both in the studio. Now, firstly, tell 12 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: me a little bit more about the focus of this 13 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: year's National Missing Person's Week. 14 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: Yes, so this is National Missing Person's Week where parlor 15 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,959 Speaker 2: focus is the National DNA Program, which is we're doing 16 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 2: in conjunction with the AFP, and it talks about identified 17 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 2: human remains, so basically identifying who those people are and 18 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 2: trying to get some answers for the family. So we 19 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: are the purpose of the National Missing Person's Week is 20 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 2: to raise awareness about the significant issues around missing persons 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 2: and the impact of that. It's about profiling some of 22 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 2: our long term missing persons, and we're also seeking to 23 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 2: try to educate the community to public about missing persons. 24 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: How many missing persons do we have unlike unsolved situations 25 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory. 26 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 2: Yes, at the moment, there's one hundred and seventy long 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 2: term missing persons. So when we say long term, they've 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 2: been missing for longer than three months. 29 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: That's like that would be so incredibly tough then on 30 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: those families, you know, it's I can't even imagine it. 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: It's one thing to have a family member go missing, 32 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: but then to not sort of have that closure or 33 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: not know exactly what's going on must be such a 34 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: tough situation for those hundred and seven people. 35 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely so, it would have a devastating impact on 36 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 2: those families and so many questions that are un answered. 37 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,839 Speaker 2: And that's our role here with the Missing Person's Unit, 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: the Cold Case Task Force is to try and identify 39 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 2: and try to find these people, but also in some 40 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 2: cases in terms of the uhrs that the unidentified remains, 41 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 2: just to try to identify who they are and provide 42 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 2: a bit more picture to the families. 43 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, now, talk us through because I know that the 44 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: facial Identification Team. Well, there's basically a Missing persons and 45 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: the Facial Identification Team, as well as the Territory Police, 46 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: the Australian Federal Police and this national DNA program that 47 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: you did touch on, have recreated a likeness of historic 48 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: unidentified human remains from Leanna. So what's the situation with 49 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: this one? 50 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 2: Sure, So I'll talk a little bit about the cranio 51 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 2: facial recognition. It's called reconstruction rather, so that's the image 52 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 2: that we've been trying to distribute through the media and 53 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 2: it's up and around parts of Darwin. So that was 54 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 2: completed by the AFP. They've got a specialist section and 55 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: it's the latest technology. It's it's actually based on a 56 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: contemporary that there's a previous method actually a lot more 57 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 2: on clay in the use of clay to recreate that person. 58 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: So it's called the Manchester method. It's a combination of 59 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: American Russian techniques and it's digital recreations. So when we 60 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 2: talk about it, I actually get Joe to talk a 61 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 2: bit more about that process because she's had quite an 62 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 2: basically a hen in. 63 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: How does it work? Joe? 64 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, So we had a facial artist come up last 65 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 3: November with the AFP team when we had a look 66 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 3: at the u hrs that we currently have, and yeah, 67 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 3: she had a handheld scanner, so we got the skull 68 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 3: out and she would just hand how use the machine 69 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 3: to scan the skull. We have eight skulls in total 70 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 3: that we're looking at. Unfortunately some of them aren't full 71 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 3: complete skulls. So yeah, they're able to scan the pieces 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 3: and then put it into the computer and then it 73 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 3: digitally fits all the pieces together, recreates a three D 74 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 3: image of the skull, and then from that they use 75 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 3: facial markers that indicate where tendons and ligaments had you know, 76 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 3: we're in the face and they can use that to 77 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 3: dage to sorry, to gauge the depth of skin and 78 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 3: tissue and recreate reconstruct the face. It's yeah, really amazing. Yeah, 79 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 3: it really is. With the woman in yellow is what 80 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 3: we've named her, we had exhausted all previous avenues of 81 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 3: investigation that we could use, so this is our basically 82 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 3: our life chance to try and identify this woman. We 83 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 3: have been able to extract DNA from her from the bones, 84 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 3: so yeah, we're really hoping that some member of the 85 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 3: public might be able to help us with some clues 86 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 3: or even being able to identify her or even family 87 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 3: members of her that we could then go and obtain 88 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 3: DNA from to try and match up to be able 89 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 3: to bring some closure to this case. 90 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: It's pretty extraordinary when you look at the technology, the 91 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: way that it's advanced in recent years, and even you know, 92 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: with the DNA technology, I would imagine that it's totally 93 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: changed the way that you guys investigate these missing persons 94 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: cases in a lot of ways, all the different avenues 95 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: that you can take. 96 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 3: It really has just even over the last couple of years, 97 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 3: as part of the National DNA Program, we've been able 98 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 3: to extract DNA that we previously haven't been able to 99 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 3: extract from and it's been able to resolve. We've had 100 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 3: I think three resolutions with matching uhrs to two long 101 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 3: term missing persons and even one that we were and 102 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 3: even aware of. So being able to provide closure to 103 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 3: that family is just invaluable. It's absolutely amazing. So, yeah, 104 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 3: we're hoping we've got some more samples down with them 105 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 3: and so I hopefully over the next year or so 106 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 3: we can look at resolving some more cases. 107 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: It's incredible stuff and I think that you know that 108 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: sometimes people sort of forget that some of the work 109 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: that the territory Police do, it's really long term sort 110 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: of work, and you know, it would be a tough 111 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: job going through this process and trying to help families 112 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: that have potentially had loved ones missing for an awful 113 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: long time. 114 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, and that's where we're trying to support them 115 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 2: and seek to provide some of those answers to them. 116 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 2: And all of our long term missing cases where we 117 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 2: haven't been un identified them, they're still open cases and 118 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 2: we treat them as such, and so we're still seeking 119 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 2: that for the information from public. If we can get 120 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 2: that information or if we can find other avenues of inquiry, 121 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 2: then we'll be pursuing it. We'll be trying to identify 122 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 2: who they are. 123 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 1: So I guess a bit of a call out as 124 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: well on National Missing Persons to, you know, to if 125 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: you know something that you might even think is a 126 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:10,239 Speaker 1: tiny bit of information that you recall it could potentially help. 127 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So if they have anything, they're welcome 128 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 2: to call crime Stoppers. They can contact one eight hundred, 129 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: triple three, Triple zero and provide that information that can 130 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 2: be provided anonymously if they like, they can also contact 131 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 2: their local police. We're also as part of the national 132 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 2: National Missing Persons Week, we're also encouraging those family members 133 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 2: and members of the public to come forward and voluntarily 134 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 2: provide their DNA as in a fair family of missing persons, 135 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 2: and that's part of the AFP's national program where we 136 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 2: can actually get that on the database and hopefully link 137 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 2: it to some of those the uhrs we talked about. 138 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 2: So the more we have on file. 139 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 3: We have so and that can be done at any 140 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 3: police station. They all have the DNA sample reference kits 141 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 3: that we use. It's really quick, easy process, a couple 142 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 3: of minutes just to cheek swab and it's done, and 143 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 3: it's then held on a separate database for missing persons 144 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 3: and not only just for the NT but all around Australia. 145 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 3: So we know how transient people can be. So it's 146 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 3: really important here that we can have that national coverage. 147 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: And of course if anybody does want to see that 148 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 1: image of the case that we spoke about in Leanna 149 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: the woman in the yellow and yellow yellow, they can 150 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 1: head to the Northern Territory Police Foreign Emergency Services Facebook page. 151 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: I'm assuming it's been sheet on there, so you can 152 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: certainly get some further detail. I really appreciate you both 153 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: coming into the studio this morning to have a chat 154 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: with us, and I just think it's incredibly fascinating to 155 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: hear about the different technology, the way in which it's advanced, 156 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: and the way in which it's helping to investigate some 157 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: of these really sort of long term historical cases, and 158 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: hopefully it will lead to the resolution and to some 159 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: closure for some of those families. 160 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, and we definitely look forward to the public 161 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 2: support with that. 162 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you both so much for your time this morning. 163 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: Really appreciate it.