MAUI, HAWAII: The devastating wildfires in Hawaii has claimed 110 lives, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said at a Wednesday news conference on August 16. The calamity is much worse than it appears in social media videos and images, according to eyewitness accounts.
But even as the death toll climbs with each passing day, a renowned forensic expert warned that it could take years for the remains to be identified due to the excruciatingly slow process, as per Daily Mail.
Dr Robert Mann, known to the public as the expert who helped identify the remains of 9/11 victims and Jeffrey Dahmer's mutilated victims, is heading to Maui.
He is part of the team who will help identify the remains salvaged from the wreckage left behind after the catastrophic wildfires.
Who is Dr Robert Mann?
Dr. Robert Mann, the director of the Forensic Science Academy at the Central Identification Laboratory in Oahu, Hawaii, will assist with identification attempts in Maui on Thursday, August 17.
Maui police chief, John Pelletier, claimed on Tuesday, August 15, that only about a third of the devastated region of Lahaina had been searched as more than 1,000 people are still unaccounted for a week after the fires swept over western Maui
Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, has stated that he believes an additional eight to ten bodies would most likely be discovered every day for at least one more week.
The search is being assisted by cadaver dogs that have been sent in from California and Washington.
Relatives of the missing people have been requested to donate DNA samples.
Have the victims of Maui wildfires been identified?
Mann told KHON 2 that he intended to bring the families some closure. "There's three steps in all of this: there is the search for the missing, there is the recovery of the missing and then there's the identification of the missing," he stated.
He advised relatives to prepare themselves for a protracted process. "Typically what we would say, and what I've seen over the last 30 to 40 years or so: it could be days if you're lucky, it could be weeks, it could be months or it could even be a few years," Mann warned about the identification process.
"They still are finding and identifying victims from the Twin Towers," he added.
The remains that have been identified include Melva Benjamin, 71, Virginia Dofa, 90, Alfredo Galinato, 79, Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, all of Lahaina, Maui County, as per CNN.
Why is it difficult to identify remains of Maui wildfire victims?
Dr Mann claimed that burned bodies are especially challenging to identify.
"With burning and destruction you lose pieces of the puzzle but you're still left with the hope," he stated, telling families not to lose faith in the process.
What will forensic experts use to identify remains of Maui wildfire victims?
Three of the most popular means of identification are DNA, fingerprints, and teeth, according to Dr Mann, an expert on the subject, who has written six books, lectures at a number of colleges, and has collaborated with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Smithsonian.
These aren't the only hints, he added, though. "Every single case, every individual, every decedent is unique - they were unique in life, and they're unique now," he stated.
"And we just have to figure out what is going to be the magic piece of that science that's going to end in identification."
Personal belongings like wedding bands or objects found in a person's pockets, according to Mann, can offer hints.
Can DNA really help identify those who died in Maui wildfires?
DNA is frequently the most helpful, particularly for burn victims - even though DNA obtained in charred bones is tainted.
The discovery of mitochondrial DNA in the 1990s was a game changer because it is more abundant than nuclear DNA.
Will Biden visit Maui?
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel to Maui on Monday, August 21.
"I remain committed to delivering everything the people of Hawaii need as they recover from this disaster," Biden said in a post on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
Biden is expected to tour the affected region to get a ground zero perspective of the damage caused by the Maui wildfires. He will also meet with first responders, survivors and federal, state and local officials, the White House said in a statement.
