Col. Freeman Martin with DPS said that UNT will test DNA samples collected by the Texas Rangers to identify flood victims.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A North Texas university is helping identify those killed in devastating flooding across Central Texas this weekend.
During a press conference with Gov. Greg Abbott Sunday, Col. Freeman Martin with the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth will be assisting in recovery efforts. The DPS official said crews will take DNA samples from the deceased. Those samples will then be taken to the UNT campus to be promptly tested.
“The Texas Rangers are collecting DNA from family members and from the deceased victims,” Martin said. “We’re flying those to the University of North Texas in Dallas, and we will have answers with rapid DNA in hours, not days, to get some closure and information back to these families.”
The Center for Human Identification at UNTHSC in Fort Worth will test the samples.
“The Center for Human Identification at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is assisting in efforts to identify victims of the recent flooding,” the school said in a statement.
The flooding in Central Texas has been catastrophic, leading to at least 70 deaths in the region. Among those, several North Texans have been killed or reported missing.
To learn more about how to help those affected in Central Texas, click here.