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Inspector Geoff Logan is no stranger to death.
As the head of the police Disaster Victim Identification team, Mr Logan has experienced the horror of the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, the Victorian bush fires in July, and now Samoa.
It is a gruelling, painstaking and unpleasant job. Mr Logan is working with Australian specialists in the morgue at Moto'otua Hospital to give closure to help identify the dead.
Samoan authorities were able to identify most of the villagers who were swept to their deaths. Mr Logan, and Auckland police sergeant Karl Wilson, help identify those who are unrecognisable. Fingerprints are taken from the body, which are then examined by a pathologist, before the teeth are examined by a dental specialist. Dental records provide the highest rate of matches, because teeth stay preserved, with fingerprints a close second.
DNA can also provide a match. If the victims are believed to be tourists, DNA swabs can be taken from everyday items back home, like hairbrushes, or from family members. Latent fingerprints can even be lifted from furniture or other surfaces in an office or bedroom to help confirm a match.
Secondary identifiers include physical descriptions of the victim, the clothing they were wearing, or even jewellery. "It's just like fitting the pieces of a jigsaw together to help get the full picture," explains Mr Logan.
"People say its a yucky job, but we know there are families out there who have lost loved ones and want them back. Anything we can do to help is great. That's why we do it."
How you can help
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at
Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
