ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — All of New York's medical examiners and coroners will soon have to share fingerprints and other information about their unidentified dead with a federal data center trying to match remains with America's missing.
The law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week imposes that requirement in 60 days, though the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System already has profiles of 1,293 unnamed New York dead that were submitted voluntarily.
They are among more than 13,000 filed nationally since the database opened a decade ago.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner contributes already. It handles the majority of cases statewide.
The recently passed legislation requires all counties follow.
Sponsors say that increases the probability remains will be identified, bringing closure to families.