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Request a DNA sample kit

If someone you love is missing and the authorities have taken DNA from unidentified remains before burial, your reference sample may be the strongest route to an answer.

Who should give a sample

A parent, child or sibling of the missing person gives the strongest comparison. More distant relatives can still help — a coordinator will advise. You do not need an account, and there is no charge.

Apply to give a DNA reference sample

Where the authorities have taken DNA from unidentified remains before burial, a close relative's reference sample can allow a later identification. Apply here and a coordinator will tell you where and when to attend. Only a laboratory and the responsible authority can confirm a match — this platform never does, and we never hold genetic data, only the laboratory's own reference numbers.

A parent, child or sibling sample gives a far stronger result than a distant relative's.
If you already reported them.
Height, marks, dental work, clothing, jewellery, what they were carrying.

What happens next

  1. You receive a tracking reference immediately — keep it with the email address you used.
  2. A coordinator contacts you to arrange where and when to give the sample.
  3. The laboratory compares your sample against profiles from remains and issues its own reference numbers.
  4. Comparisons are pre-sorted for coordinators, but only the responsible authority can confirm a match.
  5. Once you have a lab sample reference, you can record it yourself in the family DNA portal and see how comparisons are progressing.
Track an existing requestRead the family guide to DNA identification

Your privacy

FamilyConnect never holds genetic data. We record only your contact details, your relationship, and the laboratory's own reference numbers. A DNA result is never shown to you as a match here — the responsible authority confirms identity and contacts you directly.