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Identification of unknown persons, be they missing or unidentified, is a significant challenge, an important humanitarian responsibility, and a fundamental part of the healing process for families and communities. The only resolution for the families (and friends) who have lost a relative is credible confirmation of the death of their family member (and friend) and that the remains of their relative (and friend) will be treated with dignity, in accordance with their culture, religious beliefs, and the laws of their respective countries. Forensic evidence can play a significant role in the humanitarian and investigative processes. Of the various forensic tools to assist in the identification process, DNA is particularly versatile because it can be found in all tissues of the human body and thus does not rely on a specific target tissue, as do, for example, fingerprints and dental records. Moreover, in the absence of antemortem samples or records, DNA identification can be carried out by kinship analyses as long as family reference samples are available. The concepts and foundations of relationship testing are well-established and described herein. Current DNA typing capabilities have been a mainstay in unknown person identifications and in disaster victim identifications. However, DNA technologies and databases have advanced substantially in the past few years to enhance the scope and reach of kinship analyses. Expanded technology capabilities (high throughput sequencing and concomitant bioinformatics) and additional types of DNA databases (genetic genealogy) enable higher accuracies in kinship testing, association with more distant relatives, and greater typing success due to analysis of lower quantity and quality samples. Combining kinship data with access to public records and enhanced bioinformatic and computational power enables forensic investigative genetic genealogy to provide better success of humanitarian services for families and communities, as well as identification of the source(s) of evidence found at crime scenes.