Lowndes county coroner explains process of identifying dead body
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) It’s been three weeks since a dead body was found near Luxapalila Creek Park Road, and investigators are still trying to figure out the identity of the victim.
Coroners are always called to a death scene. And they work closely with detectives to find a name for a victim and their families.
Coroners usually rely on fingerprints, visual identification, and other forms of identification to figure out the identity of a dead body.
They also depend on DNA samples from possible relatives.
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said identifying a deceased victim is no easy process.
“We have to scientifically prove stuff with somebody’s dental records, scars, marks, tattoos, and DNA. In this situation, the only thing that we do have is DNA. The problem with DNA, is that you have to have a known sample with a relative like a mother, father, a sibling, or a child,” said merchant. “We have to establish the fact of who this is, before we can start reaching out to get DNA samples and known samples. Of course it takes two samples, one from the deceased, and one from a known relative. It is kind of a run, walk, crawl, you have to crawl before you can run. So, it is a very slow process at times”, said Merchant.
Merchant said he expects the autopsy of the victim to become available within the next ten days.
