"Missing in Texas"

INVESTIGATIVE CATEGORY

KXAN-TV
2/25/2021

Texas now requires the use of a national database which uses fingerprints, DNA and dental records to solve missing and unidentified persons cases - a direct result of this KXAN coverage. Before our reporting, only ten states had passed laws mandating police and medical examiners to enter case details to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs – but not Texas, even though it’s based in Fort Worth. Two Texas families and a newly elected lawmaker were determined to help others looking for loved ones, using our research and stories to help push a bill through the state legislature to do just that - a new law effective September 1, 2021. In addition to multiple on-air reports, this project included an immersive digital article and an accompanying podcast episode.

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ACCOMPANYING PODCAST
(S1 Update: Help Texas Families Have Closure)

CONTINUING COVERAGE:
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Submitted by Josh Hinkle.