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KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego County Hosting Event To Help Families Of Missing People

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's files on unidentified persons whose bodies were discovered in San Diego are pictured, March 17, 2016.
Julio Estrada
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's files on unidentified persons whose bodies were discovered in San Diego are pictured, March 17, 2016.
San Diego County Hosting Event To Help Families Of Missing People
San Diego County Hosting Event To Help Families Of Missing People GUESTS:Julio Estrada, supervising medical examiner investigator
Milan "John" Nellans, son disappeared in 1985

I am travel -- Tom fudge, and for Maureen Cavanaugh. San Diego County will hold its first Identify the Missing Day this Saturday. Relatives of missing people in the San Diego region , or Mexico, were encouraged to attend the event. The county medical examiner is also asking people to bring in dental Redeker -- dental records, or DNA to help with possible identification. Midday Edition host Maureen Cavanaugh spoke with investigator, and John Nellans his son disappeared in 1985. To some of ago, he was identified by the medical examiner's office that they have identified the remains of his son. Here is that interview. John, you have been gracious enough to share your story about being notified about your missing son. What did the medical examiner tell you when he came to your house? I was at work, and my wife called me and told me that the medical examiner had come out with another person -- personal priest. I started to cry then, I called my brother, and he said he would be there too. He met me at the house. They said they had a positive identification on my son -- that they found his body in to thousand, and the DNA so much better. They got a positive diagnosis on my sons DNA. It was closer for me, heartbreaking, but I never, ever thought it would ever happen. Did you think that perhaps your son was still alive? I didn't know, but he had some issues as being a young man. I figured, if he was in trouble, he would call me if you have any problem with the police., As time went by, the wife and I did not know what to do. After he disappeared, he filed a missing person report, and we were asked Mitterand to do a DNA. They did find a body in the back country and was inconclusive. After that, my daughter today DNA and 2005 in those limited the positive thing of it. The only sad thing was that took over 15 years. Overall, it is been over 30 years. Julio, is an unusual for an identification to take that long? Nowadays, it is not. Back in 2000 when JP was discovered, the DNA has not advanced as much as it has today. Processes remain, and at that time, what we could get was very limited. We did not send a sample until a few months later, and there was no hits or anything. In time, we received a notification from the Department of Justice that technology has advanced greatly, and they requested us to send another sample. With this type of DNA they were able to work with, that is held a able to determine to match the DNA with his sister. Nowadays, it takes longer -- I mean, shorter. John, through the years, he told us -- you told us how your daughter submitted the DNA and he reported her son missing. What else did you try to do to find your son? I really didn't know what to do, because the have already turned it over to the police. They had DNA, so we were waiting, because we did not know what to do. After being down with Julio and the medical examiner, what they are trying to do is get people in San Diego out of Mexico. There are many people nationwide that are missing, and with DNA today, the technology that they got today, if people can come up and give a DNA, you might be really surprised at what can really go on. If people are in doubt or don't know what to do, call the medical examiner's office and ask for somebody to help them there. The people are very caring, very concerned, and overly trying to help San Diego and the whole country. When relatives of the missing to give a DNA sample, either of themselves, or should have some DNA from the missing person, where does that DNA go? Does it go into a database? It does. The department of justice will obtain the sample, and they will process it. It will be the ones to determine to identify the DNA, and they will give us a very competence of report with the classification. Have copies of those reports. They store the actual biological sample. We get the sample that we get back, and everything, depending on the circumstances, or people can receive a proper burial. Even if the family member did not go missing in San Diego, that DNA they find a hit in the database. Absolutely. This is the reason why this advances are taking place in different areas. You might not necessarily be in California. Eventually, it may make it to a national database. We will help that we can get a list -- at least one hit. It remains are found in San Diego County, what is the medical examiner's office do to identify this to identify remains? Do you retain custody of the remains, or are they buried somewhere? We do for a period of time. But the Department of Justice has guidelines, and we have to wait a certain number of days for we can declare them for sure John or Jane Doe. The samples are obtained, and once the process is completed, we bury those unidentified. Have them in a very specific cemetery here, in case there are more progress technology. We have exhumed cases with people, and have been able to obtain new samples of DNA. DNA has no boundaries. I believe eventually there will be no limits for any met. And maybe no more unidentified remains. Correct. John, are you planning to we bury your son since his remains are interred in that cemetery? I believe they are at Mount Hope. Julio has told me that I can ask him my son and will probably amount to Glenn Valley where everyone else's. John, some people say that not knowing is worse, the knowing that your loved one is dead. What do you think? Could finally get you some closure of this going on in life, because unfortunately, I hope nobody else has to go through this. But with technology today, this will go nationwide. I am hoping that people will come down and get it into their databank. It will help piles and piles of people in the corners office -- and the corners office will get a lot of help. It gives you closure. It makes you cry, but it is helpful. It is very, very, very difficult. But you do get is closure on it. Birthdays and Christmas is come up. Even now, after the exam his body and move them onto Glen Abbey, it is heartbreaking. It will never go away. Being a parent, so her will never ever go away. Julio, design people working SPEs -- piece in locating a missing person? Absolutely. We get to see everything. Anything you can think of. The main satisfaction we have is being able to identify the person, locate the next of kin, and give them this information that will give them closure. At the end of the day, it is not so much what we accomplish, as giving the hook from the family thanking us for letting them know what happened to their loved one. That is what it is about. The county is inviting people who have now reported as missing, as well as people who already have on this Saturday, missing persons day. What are the reasons that people might not report a missing person? It varies. One of the main reasons, I believe being so close to the border, is a concern that people might be deported. We are not going to have any representative of the law to do that. In a number of cases, and this is represented among the state and the nation, a lot of the cases are a result of homicides. People do not want come forward. The saddest part is when indeed the families don't have any family members left alive. The hope that we can get the message and invite everybody to visit us and provide us a sample of DNA. Something that will be totally painless, really, and absolutely free for the community. It is a very good opportunity. And it is a safe place for people. Absolutely. We treat everyone with respect, and everybody will deserve and we see -- receive the same treatment. There are no differences in between everybody the same with respect. I want to thank you both, and especially you, John, to share your story. Have been speaking with John Allen's, and Julio Estrada investigator. The first identify -- 11 is held at the San Diego County medical examiner's office.

Milan "John" Nellans stands in front of photographs of his son John Patrick, or "JP," who went missing in 1985 in this undated photo.
San DIego County
Milan "John" Nellans stands in front of photographs of his son John Patrick, or "JP," who went missing in 1985 in this undated photo.

This time it was different.

"I was at work when my wife called to tell me that the medical examiner had come out," said Milan "John" Nellans, whose son John Patrick, or "JP," disappeared in 1985. "And I started to cry."

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After more than 30 years of waiting and wondering, San Diego County's Medical Examiner in February told Nellans his son's remains had been identified.

JP's remains were found in 2000 but it took another 15 years for the science to catch up, allowing for a positive DNA match in a national database of unidentified dead and missing persons.

Julio Estrada, a medical examiner investigator for the county, said his office processed JP's remains when his body was discovered, but the DNA sample they were able to get was limited and, at the time, there were no hits in the database.

"We received a notification from the Department of Justice that the DNA technology has advanced," said Estrada. "They requested us to send another sample with this new type of DNA that they were able to work with. That’s how they were able to match the DNA with his sister."

It was not the ending Nellans was hoping for.

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"It does give you closure. It makes you cry but it's helpful. It's helpful," said Nellans. "Being a parent, the hurt never ever goes away."

San Diego County's Medical Examiner is hoping to provide closure for other families searching for missing relatives at an event being held on Saturday. The first Identify the Missing Day invites relatives of missing people in the San Diego region and Mexico to attend the event to either update existing missing person's reports or create new ones. The county medical examiner is also asking people to bring in dental records, x-rays or DNA of the missing, to help in a future identification.

"The only satisfaction that we get is when we notify these families," said Estrada. "All of these people missing their loved ones, they don't know what happened to them and it might be possible that we might never be able to give them those answers, but at least they know that they are resting in peace or they know where they can be located."

John Nellans Son John Patrick Disappeared In 1985

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