Lack Of DNA Complicates Search For People Still Missing After Maui Fires
Police released the names of eight more victims as the death toll stood at 115.
Officials appealed to Maui families with loved ones who remain unaccounted for to provide DNA samples, saying that so far only 104 have been received two weeks after the deadly wildfire in Lahaina.
The lack of participation has complicated the effort to identify the victims of the Aug. 8 blaze as officials struggle to figure out how many people may have perished.
The FBI raised the number of people who remain unaccounted for to 1,100 on Tuesday, a day after the mayor said it was 850.
Steven Merrill, the FBI agent in charge, explained the number was fluctuating as experts piece together an official list from informal online versions that circulated in the immediate aftermath of the fire that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina.
He said the good news was that about 1,400 people who had been reported missing had been accounted for.
The death toll stood at 115 as search crews with specially trained dogs searched multi-story residential and commercial properties in the scorched disaster zone after completing the search of single-story residential properties, the county said.
While surveyed the rubble, forensics experts and others faced challenges in the effort to identify victims, with many remains feared burned beyond recognition.
The police department released the names of eight more victims on Tuesday, saying their relatives had been notified. They included seven Lahaina residents 鈥 Clyde Wakida, 74; Todd Yamafuji, 68; Antonia Molina, 64; Freeman Tam Lung, 59; Joseph Schilling, 67; Narciso Baylosis Jr., 67; Vanessa Baylosis, 67 鈥 and Theresa Cook, 72, of California.
In all, the names of 21 victims have been released, while 22 others have been identified with names withheld pending family notifications, .
The county has requested that family members with loved ones who remain unaccounted for submit their DNA to , which the county is partnering with, so it can be tested for a possible match with remains that have been recovered.
But they鈥檙e having a difficult time persuading families to do so.
鈥淢y understanding in talking to the experts who have done this in connection with other disasters is the number of families who are coming in to provide DNA samples is a lot lower than they鈥檝e seen in other disasters,鈥 Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin said at a joint press conference.
His office is leading the Family Assistance Center at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali, where DNA samples and other information is being accepted.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 our concern,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here today.鈥
Only 104 family samples have been submitted so far, said ANDE senior vice president Julie French.
Martin reiterated what the process looks like for submitting DNA samples and sought to reassure people that their privacy would not be violated.
Family members who visit the Family Assistance Center in Kaanapali will be interviewed about their relative鈥檚 medical history and given the opportunity to submit a DNA sample with a cheek swab, he said.
While Martin said he can’t definitively guess the reason more people are not submitting DNA samples, he indicated that distrust in government was likely a major factor.
In an effort to dispel that concern, he stressed that the analysis was being conducted by the private company, not the FBI or the police department.
鈥淭he DNA profiles are not being retained by the FBI, by MPD, or used for any type of purpose other than helping individuals find their unaccounted for family members,鈥 said Martin.
Officials addressed other topics of concern, too, noting the lists of people who are unaccounted for sometimes included just a first or last name and sometimes no age.
Reporters asked about the number of children possibly killed in the fire, but Martin said no minors had been confirmed.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have anyone on the list that we know they have a date of birth that shows they鈥檙e a minor,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean, as the chief mentioned, that there are no minor victims.鈥
Police Chief John Pelletier blamed the incomplete information for the delay in releasing the list of missing that is being compiled.
鈥淲e are looking to do that,” he said when asked about releasing the list. “But what we want to do is we want to get a verified list.”
Currently, the public must rely on other data sources such as a tab on about 680 entries long.
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
