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The list of people who may be missing after the Maui wildfires is now 1,000 to 1,100, officials said Tuesday, after reporting a few days ago that the number had dropped to 850.
The numbers are expected to change, and “that doesn’t necessarily mean … that these people are, in fact, missing,” said Steven Merrill, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu field office.
“Every day the numbers will change. That being said, the number we’re most concerned about is obviously trying to delist people. And that has been going down reliably every day,” she said.
Urgent efforts to identify the remains of those discovered in the ashes have prompted emergency leaders to ask families for DNA samples to aid in the identification process.
As of Wednesday morning, only 104 families had submitted DNA samples, limiting the process.
“The number of family members coming in to provide DNA samples is much lower than we have seen in other disasters,” said Maui County Attorney Andrew Martin.
Remains identification has become more complex due to multiple lists from different agencies. In addition to DNA analysis, authorities are using mobile phone technology to help locate people’s whereabouts.
The confirmed death toll remains at 115. and residents continue to demand answers about the interruption of communications during the fires.
Until Tuesday night, 43 people had been identified, county officials said. Of them, eight names have been made public, with ages between 59 and 74 years.
The names on the list are those of people who have been reported missing or whose whereabouts are unknown, Merrill said. “We are looking at everyone on that list until we can show that they shouldn’t be on that list,” she added.
Some of the information is incomplete: Officials can have a name and that’s it, or they can have no gender, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said. That can make it difficult to verify who is missing.
“We need more information, and if you have been hesitant to contact the Maui police, the FBI or anyone else to provide more information, please reach out,” he said.
Authorities could not confirm how many of the missing are children. Merrill revealed that no one on its missing persons lists has a child’s date of birth.
“That does not mean… that there are no minor victims. In all of our lists, we currently don’t have any names that show the date of birth of someone who is a boy,” Merrill said.
He also noted that So far, around 1,400 of the 2,500 have been found safe. people who were initially reported missing.
For days, hundreds of search and rescue teams and dozens of body-sniffing dogs have been scouring the burned area in search of human remains. The FBI has evidence collection personnel, forensic science experts and cell phone analysts in Maui to assist in the identification process, he explained.
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