Letter: Lost souls

Sir: John Penny (letter, 9 October), suggested the establishment of a website with details of missing persons to help the police identify bodies. We at the National Missing Persons Helpline have discussed this possibility extensively with the police and others and concluded that it would be inappropriate.

Firstly there are issues of confidentiality. For a website to be of any use to police and coroners a significant amount of detail about a missing individual would have to be disclosed. Families coping with the absence of a loved one may not want the distressing circumstances to be revealed in full to the public.

There is unfortunately still a stigma attached to depression and mental illness and families are unwilling to publicise the extent of someone's problems in case their missing relative returns home and then has to endure a very public recovery.

Secondly, a graphic image being the main focus of a site could be problematic. When bodies are found they can be in a serious state of decay. Only with the help of experts such as our forensic artist, Di Cullington, can we get an idea of what a face may have looked like when the person was alive. The photos that would be used on the Internet are often of poor quality and may have been taken years before the disappearance.

A website would be difficult to maintain. We get 10 new cases a day. All would need to be included. Often the details the police have about an unidentified body are incorrect. Pathologists can age bodies inaccurately and frequently height is wrongly estimated.

We could also run the risk of details released about a missing person being used fraudulently in the international arena.

It is our experience that the key way to improve upon the present system is for coroners and police nationwide to inform us of unidentified bodies as soon as they are found.

The helpline is dealing daily with the families concerned and can quickly access a confidential and comprehensive data check and with the invaluable input of dedicated caseworkers who have an intimate knowledge of missing individuals and their families we believe can greatly improve upon the present system.

We have started to compile a national register of unidentified bodies but need the co-operation of all agencies concerned to make this work.

JANET NEWMAN

National Missing Persons Helpline

London SW14