WICHITA, Kan. New advancements in DNA identification technology mean a stronger likelihood for identifying John or Jane Doe’s like “Miss Molly.”

“Miss Molly” is a case Todd Matthews — a representative for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) — says he’s followed for years. NamUs tracked unidentified cases all over the country. Just in Kansas, there are 25 unidentified persons in the system’s database.

Matthews says John-and-Jane-Doe cases like “Miss Molly” have a stronger likelihood of identification, thanks to advancements in DNA technology.

“It’s not uncommon now,” he says. “The DNA technology improves constantly, so what we do now is better than what we did last year even.”

Matthews says for the most part, if a body is exhumed, it’s because law enforcement is proactively searching for connections. That’s where DNA identification comes in play. NamUs collects forensic data on cases that includes dental records, X-rays and fingerprints, just to name a few identification tools.

But there is more out there fro commercial use. New genealogy companies like ancestry.com and 23andMe can also help.

“…The internet wasn’t designed to solve John and Jane Doe cases, but it’s happening. It’s the ability to share that data in real time,” Matthews says.

He encourages everyone to report missing persons to NamUs.