The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office (TCME) received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program (CFDA 16.050). This 3-year grant, commencing on October 1, 2023, will fund initiatives to improve the reporting, transportation, processing, and identification of missing persons and unidentified human remains cases within TCME's jurisdiction of Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, and Parker Counties in Texas.
Specifically, the grant will support hiring a full-time Identification Investigator to interface with families, law enforcement, and other partners; conduct Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) testing on 10 priority cases; and facilitate 3D scanning and facial reconstruction of unidentified remains. The project aims to verify the current list of unidentified cases, update entries in national databases, enhance public outreach, and leverage FGG to provide investigative leads. Performance will be measured through complete accounting of unidentified decedents, number of cases entered into databases, decedents identified and claimed, and the success of the new Identification Investigator position.