New DNA partnership aims to locate missing First Nations Australians

The Disappeared Project has partnered with forensic geneticist Dr. Jodie Ward and the volunteer-led UK charity Locate International to apply forensic genetic genealogy to long-standing First Nations missing-person cases across Australia. The plan includes creating a culturally sensitive, community-controlled DNA database that does not rely on overseas processing, addressing distrust among Indigenous peoples. Using tools that compare DNA to public genealogy databases like GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, the team aims to locate remains in mass graves, former institutions and other sites, and to provide answers for families such as the siblings of Monique Clubb, who vanished in 2013.

Co-founder Martin Hodgson emphasizes that families will now play an active role rather than waiting passively for official results. Dr. Ward notes the technology has already identified an Indigenous individual in a confidential case and is being applied to other international contexts, including a mass grave in Tuam, Ireland. The partnership hopes to expand its reach to support similar cold-case work globally.