VIFM at ISHI#35 - How Forensic Genetic Genealogy Identified the Sandy Point Man

Solving a 95-Year-Old Mystery: How Forensic Genetic Genealogy Identified the Sandy Point Man

The International Symposium on Human Identification is the largest annual meeting focused entirely on DNA forensics. The annual meeting welcomes more than 900 forensic DNA experts and law enforcement professionals from around the world.

Excerpt from ISHI#35 (14 Jul 2025) - How do you identify someone who went missing nearly a century ago?

At #ISHI35, Dadna Hartman, forensic scientist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, shared the remarkable case of the Sandy Point Man—a set of unidentified human remains discovered underwater in Australia in 2017. Through forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG), her team was able to identify the individual as Christopher Luke Moore, who had drowned in 1928.

🔬 Inside this interview:
➡️ How forensic DNA and genealogy solved a case nearly a century old
➡️ The challenges of identifying unclaimed and missing persons in Australia
➡️ Why this was the first case in Victoria where FIGG was accepted as an official ID method
➡️ How forensic scientists are using FiGG to tackle dozens of unidentified human remains cases

Forensic investigative genetic genealogy is rewriting history and reuniting families—watch how this technique is being applied worldwide.

The VIFM does not own the copyright for this video and is sharing it to promote health and wellbeing to the Victorian Community.