Police seek identities of 40 unidentified dead in Finland

Finland has about 40 unidentified deceased people, and the Central Criminal Police is working to solve their cases, Yle reports. One of them was a man found wearing several layers of clothing in a forested area in Rusko, in the Varsinais-Suomi region.

Police found the man’s body at the end of June 2013. He had been dead for some time, based on the condition of the body and the amount of clothing he was wearing despite the midsummer conditions.

He was wearing a brownish-grey jacket, a green woollen sweater and a hooded sweatshirt underneath. Investigators also noted a colourful scarf, black slip-on casual shoes and a Casio wristwatch.

The man was estimated to have been between 30 and 40 years old. Thirteen years later, his identity remains unknown.

“Work is still continuing to establish the identity of the deceased,” said Tiia Grönberg, a detective chief inspector with the Central Criminal Police.

How police identify unknown dead

The Central Criminal Police leads Finland’s victim identification operation, which maintains a register of missing people and unidentified deceased people. Grönberg heads the operation.

The work also involves forensic doctors, autopsy technicians, forensic dentists, fingerprint investigators and DNA and bone experts from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Central Criminal Police’s forensic laboratory.

The earliest unidentified deceased person known to the Central Criminal Police dates back to 1964. The most recent case is from last year, when part of an unidentified person’s skull was found in Pieksämäki. The case is being investigated by the Eastern Finland Police Department.

When police departments provide information about cases under investigation, the victim identification operation records it in the register for identification purposes.

Police record the primary identifying information available, whether the person died recently or only human remains have been found. This includes DNA, fingerprints and dental records. Each is unique and can provide equally reliable means of identification.

Even when a person’s identity cannot be established immediately, investigators may be able to determine their age and when they died. From individual bone finds, experts can assess a person’s age, sex, height, indications of ancestry and how long they have been dead.

Property found with a deceased person can also provide clues. Clothing and equipment may indicate whether the person was, for example, a lost hiker or a berry picker. The condition of the body does not necessarily prevent investigators from estimating the person’s size in life or where their clothes were bought.

Jewellery, engravings and glasses have helped identify deceased people. Tattoos and skin changes may also provide distinctive identifying marks.

Identification depends on comparisons

To identify an unknown deceased person using dental records, DNA or fingerprints, police need information against which the findings can be compared.

The Central Criminal Police register contains information on hundreds of people reported missing in Finland. If a missing person visited a dentist during their lifetime, those records are added to the missing persons register, allowing them to be compared with the dental records of unidentified deceased people.

“Finland is in a good position regarding the availability of dental records,” Grönberg said.

Forensic dentists assist police in collecting, storing and comparing dental records, carrying out identifications as part of their official duties.