Expand / Collapse search
☰

DeKalb County hosting missing persons & DNA event this weekend

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  May 13, 2025 12:30pm EDT
DeKalb County
FOX 5 Atlanta

FOX 5 Atlanta image

The Brief

    • DeKalb County will host a Missing Persons & DNA Event on May 17 in Decatur, where families can file reports, provide case details, and donate DNA to aid in cold case investigations.
    • The event includes free genealogy kits, public information sessions with forensic experts, and participation in a Walkathon for the Missing and Exploited, raising awareness for long-term missing persons cases.
    • The Cold Case Task Force is using a $496,000 federal grant to identify the remains of 27 individuals and reunite them with their families through forensic and genealogical methods.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office are inviting the public to a Missing Persons & DNA Event on May 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Legacy Park’s Cochran Building, located at 500 S. Columbia Drive in Decatur.

What we know:

The event is designed to help families of missing persons provide crucial information, open or update missing person reports, and donate DNA samples that may aid identification efforts. Officials from the DeKalb County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office will be on hand to enter case data into national databases such as NCIC and NamUs. Donated DNA will be submitted to law enforcement and genealogical databases, including CODIS.

Residents filing new reports are encouraged to bring photos, police reports, medical records, or ID documents related to their missing loved one. For DNA submissions, the task force recommends bringing two family members from different branches of the family tree to improve match accuracy.

The event is part of the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force’s ongoing mission to identify more than a dozen sets of unidentified human remains. Formed through a partnership with the FBI, GBI, DeKalb Medical Examiner, and Police Department, the task force is using a $496,045 federal grant to assist with identification and reuniting remains with families.

In addition to offering free genealogy kits, the event will feature two public education sessions:

  • "Identity Unknown: How Genealogy Databases Can Solve Cases" with genetic genealogist Jeremy Lipford at 11 a.m.
  • "Portrait of a Missing Person: Forensic Art and How You Can Help" with GBI forensic artist Kelly Lawson at 11:30 a.m.

The event will also coincide with the Walkathon for the Missing and Exploited, hosted by Raymond Green International Outreach of Hope. The nonprofit was founded by Donna Green, who has been searching for her kidnapped son since 1978. The walkathon aims to raise awareness and offer hope to families still seeking answers.

Registration for the event is encouraged but not required. Visit https://bit.ly/ColdCaseEvents for more information. Walkathon details are available here.

Anyone with information about a cold case in DeKalb County is urged to contact the Cold Case Tip Line at (404) 371-2444. Callers may remain anonymous.

The Source

  • Information for above story provided by DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.

DeKalb CountyMissing PersonsNews