Dear NamUs Stakeholders,

As you are aware, the Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is changing administrators for the first time since 2011. In April of 2021, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded a contract to RTI International (RTI) to manage NamUs. I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the entire NamUs stakeholder community for your patience and input as this transition progresses.  

Over the past three months, NIJ has been working diligently with RTI and the University of North Texas, the previous NamUs administrator, to transition the overarching management of NamUs to RTI. In the coming months, the community will see several changes. I would like to share with you some of these changes.  

• First, the Office of Justice Programs, of which NIJ is part, will assume daily oversight of all web management applications in NamUs 2.0 database. This will allow for the sustainable continuity of database services to the community regardless of which organization holds the contract.
• Second, those of you who work directly with the current NamUs Regional Program Specialists  will soon see those same individuals as RTI employees. Their service as community support liaisons will continue. We appreciate the wealth of experience that these individuals have contributed to NamUs and we plan to retain them in that capacity.
• Third, to strengthen forensic services, we plan to enlist several forensic providers as formal NamUs partners. RTI is currently negotiating subcontracts and will announce them once they have established formal commitments. RTI is also in discussions with various public and private laboratories, especially those with CODIS units, as well as with various forensic consultants, to enlist their participation as potential NamUs partners. We expect that, by enlisting these partners, we will enhance program efficiencies and improve sample turnaround times. Furthermore, we will continue to pursue partnerships, both formal and informal, with industry, academia, other non-profit organizations, and state and federal agencies.
• Fourth, we recognize that advanced DNA technologies paired with forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) services have become a powerful tool for pushing investigations forward to case resolution. There are numerous NamUs cases that could benefit from such services, and RTI is currently working with various vendors who provide FGG services to develop a robust plan to integrate forensic genetic genealogy into future NamUs workflows and services[1]. 

As a final thought, I understand that behind every single case in the NamUs database are family members and loved ones of those who have gone missing or remain unidentified. We do not take our responsibility to them lightly, and we are ready to take on all challenges to bring them the answers they need and deserve. As we look forward to the future, NIJ will build upon the solid foundation already established and create an even stronger NamUs. We look forward to working with you to make that goal a reality.

Sincerely,

Lucas Zarwell

National Institute of Justice

Director, Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences