DVI process and death toll in Christchurch

Superintendent Dave Cliff, Christchurch Police District Commander, said Police had been working as hard as possible on carrying out a Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process on bodies which have been located in Christchurch. (For an explanation of the DVI and Coroner's process see below).

"At present we have a total of 98 bodies," Superintendent Cliff said.

"Identification of the bodies will be a long and complex process. In most cases, visual identification of these bodies is proving to be extremely difficult.

"We have a large team working through the list of those who have been reported missing by loved ones. At this stage we can confirm that we have 226 people listed as missing. Because of our inquiries and the likelihood that these missing people are believed to be in the most severely affected areas of Christchurch we hold serious concerns that they have not survived.

"This number may well grow higher, as there may be overseas nationals who have not been reported missing.

"We have been in touch with all the families of those reported missing, and the Police Family Liaison team have been briefing families this afternoon on all the information available to date. We will continue to provide information and support to the families."

The majority of the 98 confirmed deceased are expected to be included within the 226 missing, Supt Cliff said.

"We have been in discussion with the chief Coroner and have assessed the risks around releasing the names of the missing. As a result the Coroner is firm that we must continue with our process to ensure absolute certainty around identity."

"My plea is that if anyone has reported someone missing, and that person is now safe and well, or if a person knows they have been reported missing, please contact the Red Cross as soon as possible on 0800 733276." 

There are five stages in the DVI process, work on all stages is carried out concurrently.

The five stages are:

Postmortem phases: collecting detail from the recovered body

Phase 1: Scene

• Area is cordoned off and treated as a crime scene so no evidence is disturbed
• Scene is carefully recorded with notes, cameras and/or sketches
• Any human remains are examined and documented in situ, then taken to a temporary holding area.

Phase 2: Mortuary

• Body (or human remains) is examined in detail by a pathologist, forensic dentist, fingerprint officer and Police DVI team
• Coroner is advised and may choose to attend
• Personal effects (such as jewelry, clothing) are photographed in situ, then collected, examined, cleaned, rephotographed and secured.

Antemortem phase: information about missing person is brought in from outside

Phase 3: Antemortem Information Retrieval

• Police gather information about possible victims, such as
• descriptions of appearance, clothing, jewelry, photos
• medical and dental records, x-rays
• fingerprints, from objects or official records (commonly collected by some overseas agencies)
• DNA samples, such as from a hairbrush, toothbrush or blood sample.

Phase 4: Reconcilliation

• Information from postmortem and antemortem phases are brought together to find a match
• Easiest identifications are done first to reduce the possible number of matches
• Identification Board (chaired by the Coroner) is presented evidence of the match by fingerprint, dentistry, DNA and Police DVI experts and decides if identification has been established
• Family and/or Foreign Mission is advised, then media.

Phase 5: Debrief

• People involved in the DVI process keep each other updated throughout all stages
• Support and welfare is made available to staff including stress and grief counsellors, chaplains, Victim Support and police welfare officers.

Q&A

When can a body be identified relatively quickly?

• The death was witnessed by someone who knew the victim
• The victim lived locally so samples and records can be easily accessed.

When does it take a relatively long time to identify a body?

• Descriptions have changed, such as the victim changed clothing
• The victim was seriously injured
• The victim is a visitor or tourist - they can't be identified until reported missing
• Results from samples and/or records have to be arranged from overseas.

Why isn't it enough for a friend or relative to identify a body?

• International experience shows visual identification is not conclusive. Those trying to make an identification are highly stressed and mistakes occur.
• Severe injuries can make visual identification difficult.

How long does the DVI process take?

• It depends on factors including number of people available to work on it. DNA samples usually take several days to process.
• Police are retrieving information (Phase 3) from people reported missing while searches continue.

How are families kept informed?
 

• A Police family liaison officer is assigned to families of people reported missing. They provide a consistent point of contact, inform families about the process and update them with progress.