Missing & Unidentified

This August marked a sad anniversary. John Matthew Thrasher, an Overton County (Tennessee) resident, was last seen at the Putnam county fair on August 14th 2004 when he was 21 years of age. John is one of 1,482 missing persons in Tennessee.

Cases like Thrashers echo that it seems the media tends to reflect more heavily on the missing, fair haired, blue eyed, college students. It can be quite frustrating for the family members of the missing. Every missing person is equally important, especially to those who knew and loved them.

John's family, like countless others, have worked hard to keep the case in the public eye. They have posted a $2,500 reward for any information that leads to John's whereabouts.

The ad appears in local appears on a weekly basis.

www.JohnMatthewThrasher.com

If anyone has any information, please call Livingston Police Department at (931) 823-6496
The smallest detail can make the difference.

According to the FBI-NCIC there are 1,482 missing person in Tennessee.
There are 110,995 missing person listed at the national level. (As of 7-30-06)

Not all cases are registered with the FBI- NCIC, but it is vital to do so in order to get the most accurate number of the missing. It has been estimated that the numbers of the missing soar far higher.

It is also essential that family members of the missing have their DNA entered into the FBI's DNA database for cross comparison between the missing and unidentified throughout the nation.

Often, in a cold case, the reason it becomes a cold case is due to a lack of physical evidence or identification factors such as dental records. DNA then become the only tool that can make an identification in these cases.

If you have a missing person in your family, please ask the investigator to enter a DNA sample into the FBI's DNA database immediately.

Kentucky is one state that has taken a very proactive approach, almost all of their unidentified cases have been entered into the DNA database. This gives countless cases new hope for resolution.

There are also 46 unidentified bodies in Tennessee.
There are 6,091 missing person listed at the national level. (As of 7-30-06)

The family of Leoma Patterson recently had their suspicion confirmed through DNA. For 28 years they felt the murder victim they buried as their mother - was in fact a stranger.

www.LeomaPatterson.com

Efforts are being taken to take a new look at the Patterson case. The family request that the DNA of the Jane Doe buried in their mothers grave have her DNA processed into the FBI's database, as well as samples of their own DNA into the database.

The fact remains, both Jonathan Thrasher and Leoma Patterson might very well be elsewhere labeled as a John or Jane Doe...waiting for the missing link.

( More information and updates posted at www.LFGRC.org )