Queens Launches Urgent Missing Persons Day to Solve Cold Cases
UPDATE: Queens has initiated its first-ever Missing Persons Day, held on Friday, aiming to assist families with loved ones missing for over 60 days. This groundbreaking event, hosted by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, seeks to uncover vital clues in numerous cold cases.
With families desperate for answers, investigators are eager to gather new leads. Lorrain Townsend and Jackie Pennington, searching for their cousin Allen Foster, who has been missing for 20 years, expressed their hope for closure. “He had a dimple on the right side when he smiled,” Townsend recalled, as they provided a DNA sample and filed a missing person’s report with the NYPD.
Dr. Jason Graham, the city’s chief medical examiner, emphasized the importance of community collaboration, stating, “We have many partners across the city, including the NYPD, to really serve these families.” This is the first event of its kind in Queens, following similar initiatives in other boroughs.
Families are encouraged to utilize the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as an additional resource. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, who established the borough’s first cold case unit, confirmed that DNA collected will be entered into national databases. “We are investigating over 47 homicides with unidentified victims,” Katz stated, underscoring the urgency of finding closure for grieving families.
For many, the uncertainty is unbearable. Pennington shared her pain, saying, “If he’s alive, we would like to find him and reconnect. If he’s not, then at least we have an answer.” Townsend echoed the sentiment: “How would you feel if we knew something about your family and we just kept it to ourselves?”
At the event, 16 individuals representing nine families sought assistance, while others participated via phone interviews. If you missed the event, you can still reach out to the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office at 212-323-1201 for more information.
As this event unfolds, the hope is that it will lead to significant breakthroughs in these cold cases, shedding light on the lives of those who have been missing for far too long.
