* Between 1980 and 2004, about 10,300 unidentified human remains were reported to the National Death Index (NDI). * Almost three-quarters of unidentified persons were reported by 5 states; Arizona, California, Florida, New York, and Texas. * Of the 2,900 National Crime Information Center records that contained data on the manner of death, 27% were ruled homicides; 12%, accidental deaths; 7%, natural causes; and 5%, suicides. * The majority of unidentified persons were white (70%); blacks made up 15% of unidentified persons; and race could not be determined in 13% of the cases.

Breaking Stories on Unidentified Persons

The victim is anonymous. No one came forward to identify her body and she was buried in a grave marked "Jane Doe," another victim of an unsolved crime forgotten by most. Yet she had a life; she had a future that was brutally taken from her and as so many others like her, she deserves to be remembered, not for her death, but for her life.

In Honor of Frank Bender, Artist