Legislation would make missing people a priority

MADISON, Ind. -- A cousin of a Madison, Ind., woman who disappeared more than two years ago is working with state lawmakers to establish new procedures for police to follow in investigating missing adults.\nLegislation introduced in the House and Senate also would require police to collect DNA evidence for people who are missing as well as from unidentified bodies and put the people in a national database for possible matches.\nKeri Dattilo's cousin, Molly Dattilo of Madison, disappeared more than two years ago while in Indianapolis attending summer classes.\n"This legislation helps law enforcement prioritize cases," Keri Dattilo said. "My family and I just don't want to have any other families go through the experience we went through. We want to see some changes."\nMolly Dattilo's brother reported her missing two days after she disappeared. The family said the woman did not take her money, car or other belongings.\nScott Robinett, the deputy chief of investigations for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said the Dattilo investigation continues as a missing-persons case but not necessarily a criminal one.\nSeparate bills in the House and Senate would establish criteria for police to determine whether an adult is a "high risk missing person" and establish procedures for dealing with those cases.\nThe legislation also requires police to provide family with contact information for missing persons organizations and to collect DNA evidence for anyone missing more than 30 days.\nThe bills are based on model legislation prepared by the U.S. Department of Justice and pushed by groups that serve as advocates for families of missing people.\nThe House bill, written by Rep. Dave Cheatham, D-North Vernon, is tentatively scheduled to be heard in the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee on Feb. 15. Dattilo said she plans to testify on that bill.\nThe state police already have raised questions about implementing some of the procedures outlined in the bill and are working with Cheatham on amendments. He said those will be introduced at the February hearing.\n"This is model legislation, so there are always going to be changes to make it work for a specific state," Cheatham said. "I think we can work it out."\nThe Senate bill, written by Sen. Connie Sipes, D-New Albany, has not been scheduled for a hearing.\nCapt. Sherry Beck, the legislative liaison for the state police, said the agency does not oppose the principles behind the bills but said they might go too far. Police often receive calls about people who have not shown up for work and are feared missing or about people who are trying to escape an abusive spouse and don't want to be found. As written, the bills don't account for those situations, Beck said.\n"Currently what we do is ask enough specific questions and find out whether there is an issue," she said.\nThe model legislation suggested by the Justice Department has been adopted in some form in Washington, Colorado and the District of Columbia, said Kelly Jolkowski, founder and president of Nebraska-based Project Jason, a group that helps families who are missing loved ones.