Families encouraged to provide DNA sample to Gardaí on National Missing Persons Day

Families of missing people are being encouraged to provide a DNA sample to Gardaí at an annual ceremony marking National Missing Persons Day. 

Today's (December 7) ceremony marks the welcome return of an in-person event at Croke Park following the delivery of online commemorations in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The commemoration is an opportunity for families and friends to remember their missing loved ones and provides a nationwide platform to appeal to the public for information. 

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Minister Browne said, "National Missing Persons Day is an important date in our national calendar. The objective of Missing Persons Day is twofold: the Missing Persons Day ceremony offers families and friends of missing people the opportunity to gather together to commemorate their loved ones; while Missing Persons Day equally provides a critical national focal point to raise awareness of Ireland’s missing persons. 

"I want to use today to echo the central messages we communicate each year. If you have information, no matter how minor it may appear, I would urge you to please come forward and share this information with An Garda Síochána. Any information has the potential to make a contribution to resolving a missing person case." 

The minister is encouraging families of missing people who have yet to provide a DNA sample to consider doing so. 

He said, "Your DNA sample will be compared with samples held on Ireland’s DNA database to check if a matching sample of DNA is already stored on the database. Forensic scientists are available at today’s ceremony to take your DNA sample, or you can provide a DNA sample to Gardaí. The collection and matching of DNA samples has made a crucial contribution to several missing persons cases in this country in recent years.” 

Minister Browne also detailed the launch of an information guide for the families and friends of missing people. 

He said, "The guide seeks to act as a signpost to information on justice sector agencies and their role in missing persons’ cases. Additional information on other State, support and voluntary organisations is also included in the guide. 

"Missing Persons Day is an all-Ireland commemorative day and I am particularly pleased that the PSNI will speak at this year’s ceremony for the first time. My Department greatly appreciates the long-standing support for Missing Persons Day from a range of organisations in Northern Ireland.” 

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris also commented and said, "An Garda Síochána has a duty to establish the facts about those who have gone missing in Ireland. The Garda Missing Persons Bureau and Gardaí nationwide work hard to locate all those who go missing. This can sometimes require our close co-operation with international policing partners including Europol and Interpol. 

"In recent years, there has been a greater, collective focus on ensuring families are kept informed of the progress of investigations. The tools available to us to investigate missing persons also continue to expand and improve. Advances in DNA Tracking and the establishment of a National Missing Persons DNA database place us in a far stronger position to identify those who have gone missing. 

"We urge anyone with information linked with the disappearance of a person, no matter how insignificant it might seem to please come forward and speak with a member of An Garda Síochána.”  

Minister Browne concluded, "I want to thank each of our contributors to this year’s tenth anniversary ceremony. My special thanks goes to the families of missing people who are speaking at the ceremony this year. I also want to thank all who have supported Missing Persons Day since its inception. Thanks to your support Missing Persons Day can continue to evolve over the coming decade.” 

This year’s ceremony commences at 11.15 am and is livestreamed via this link and on social media (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube). The ceremony will also be available to be watched back on the Department’s website at any point after the conclusion of the event.