Jimena Vazquez-Vega '25 is interested in genealogy and has tried building out her family tree, but she keeps getting stuck.
"Both of my parents are from Mexico, and it's harder to find records for family members from there. The furthest I could go for myself was my great grandfather."
She may be stymied researching her own history, but now she's on a mission to build out a family tree for a perfect stranger. And if she's successful, she might just solve a mystery that's been tearing at the family for more than 40 years.
DNA Finders was founded by Tobi Kirschmann, M.S., visiting instructor of forensics and investigative genetic genealogy. The company assists law enforcement agencies and coroners solve cases using DNA sequencing and genetic genealogy. They work with families as well through Trees for the Missing, a project started by DNA Finders' interns. This semester, Jimena is the point of a contact for a woman who's spent more than four decades wondering what happened to her dad after he went missing.
Here's how Trees for the Missing works: the intern meets the family of a missing person and builds their family tree in Ancestry.com back four generations. The intern then helps the family upload their DNA to the three genealogy databases that support law enforcement: GEDmatch, FTDNA, and DNAJustice and attaches the family tree to the DNA profile. This way, when human remains of the missing person are sequenced it will instantly match the family member and the case will be solved.
"It would be amazing if I could help her. They’re so loving and so understanding. Helping them find closure would really be heartwarming. I feel like I need to find closure for them. I’ve created this amazing relationship with them – it would be amazing if I could do it."
Jimena is a criminal justice studies major with a concentration in forensics. She's not sure exactly how she wants to leverage the education and this internship experience when she graduates, but she's grateful for the education and the relationships.
"I transferred to Siena, and my first school wasn't supportive like this. I love the classes I've been taking, and the faculty have been so amazing."
"Siena students are doing great things to help the community and law enforcement push their cold cases forward. Jimena is a perfect example. She took FIGG I and FIGG II and didn't stop at that; she requested an internship to put her academic skills to work.
Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy I (FIGG I) is an introduction to using advanced DNA to help solve cold cases. FIGG II leads the students through two cases that have already been solved to deepen their skills at solving cases. After FIGG I and II, students can push their skills forward with an internship at DNA Finders. Once the student has learned how to do genetic genealogy, there are thousands of New York cases waiting to be solved.
We have a Cold Case Investigation project starting for homicides and sexual assaults and the Adopt-a-Doe project where students choose a local Jane or John Doe and promote DNA testing and identification with genetic genealogy. With so many New York cases to solve, this rewarding internship will be around for years to come."
Tobi Kirschmann, M.S., visiting instructor of forensics and investigative genetic genealogy
