232 missing persons reports filed after Joplin tornado

12:40 PM, May 26, 2011   |    comments
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Video: Joplin tornado missing persons list ot be released

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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  • List of unaccounted-for persons
  • Joplin, Mo (KSDK) -- Joplin officials announced 232 missing persons reports have been officially filed since the tornado hit Joplin, Missouri on Sunday.
     
    Missouri Department of Public Safety deputy director and general manager Andrea Spillars released a list of names and locations and survivors are advised to check it.

    List of unaccounted-for persons

    Officials believe some of the 232 may be the unidentified deceased.

    "We know there are people on the list that are deceased," Spillars said.

    To identify the deceased, DNA samples are being taken of family members of the missing. Officials said DNA, fingerprints and medical records help ensure they are 100 percent accurate when making an identification.

    Of the 125 people who died in the storm, only one has been positively identified using the DNA method.

    Some Joplin residents are frustrated and anxious because they have not been able to visually identify loved ones they know died in the storm.

    Spillars said they are working as fast as possible to reunite families with loved ones.

    Officials said they received thousands of calls after the storm hit for wellness checks about friends and relatives who lived in the area.

    KSDK