LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There are hundreds of missing people and unidentified remains in the Silver State with loved ones looking for answers.
For example, this is "John Doe" who was labeled by the Clark County Coroner's Office as a Caucasian male between the ages of 45 and 70. He was found in September of 1984 in North Las Vegas.
This is "Jane Palos Verdes Doe," a woman between the ages of 28 and 50 years old, found in August of 2021 between Flamingo Road and Palos Verdes Street.
They are just two of the more than 300 unidentified people in Nevada that Clark County is working to put a name to. They were people who lived, had family and friends, were known and missed, even if we didn't know their names.
The coroner's goal is to make a connection with someone who did know them, collecting as much information as possible to make an identification.
WATCH | Anyssa Bohanan spoke to a former coroner to learn more about the process:
"When you talk to the victims' families about a missing person, they will tell you that they never stop looking. Ever," said former Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy. "Until you give them an answer."
"It's bittersweet because they want answers, but I can't say that you ever truly provide them with the closure that they're looking for," said current Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse. "But at least you can provide a name to that decedent, and you can provide information to that family so they no longer have to live in the wondering."
While they're hoping to accomplish that task year-round, the Coroner's Office is also looking for answers at their second annual Missing in Nevada Day.
At last year's event, the county says they were able to take 10 new missing persons reports of those who had not been reported missing yet.
They were also able to make notifications to the loved ones of two people who passed away after they had been looking for years. Information about another 12 people to help identify them was also collected.
This year's event is happening Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UNLV University Gateway building.
If you're planning to attend, families are encouraged to bring photographs, dental records and/or fingerprints if you have them. DNA samples may also be collected from close biological family members.
But you don't have to wait until Saturday if you're looking to find more information about a missing loved one. You can reach out and provide any information to the email missinginnevada@clarkcountynv.gov.
Here's a look at some of the cases the coroner's office is currently investigating:
