1 Year Anniversary: Reflections from LAMMP Admin

Written by Viktor Veltstra, LAMMP Admin

September 27 marked the one year anniversary of the beginning of the LAMMP database. The LAMMP database has been the capstone project for my Forensic Genetic Genealogy internship with Redgrave Research, as well as being a resource for the Trans Doe Task Force and Missing, Murdered, Unclaimed and Unidentified LGBTQ+ persons cases. 

It has been an incredible amount of work, and I appreciate the tremendous amount of support and help and advice that Lee and Anthony have given me for this project, which I will continue to work on after my Forensic Genetic Genealogy internship ends and my work with the Trans Doe Task Force continues. It truly could not have become a reality with out you. 

I wanted to say thank you to all of the people who have supported LAMMP and helped find cases of missing, murdered, unclaimed, and unidentified LGBTQ+ people, and who have shared their information on social media, and who have taken the time to discuss the specific issues facing LGBTQ+ cases, and why the LAMMP database is so important. And also thank you to all of the other Trans Doe Task Force Volunteers, and the other organization’s we’ve collaborated with for cases. 

During the year, the Trans Doe Task Force, along with tdor.translivesmatter.info assisted in the identification of Koko Nia Labeija of Chicago, who had been unidentified for 10 months. The Trans Doe Task force also assisted in the identification of Kim Ramirez, of New York City and also were able to locate Nancy Brown, of Rosenburg, Texas, who had been reported as a missing person.  

Nancy’s case is very recent (this week, in fact) and her family is facing the unexpected challenge of trying to get her returned to them. Her sister Pamala has set up a gofundme to try to raise the funds needed for her final expenses, and I hope that if you have extra and can give, that you will help them. (Pamala has also said that sharing the link for the gofundme if you can’t give is very much appreciated.) https://www.gofundme.com/f/pay-tribute-to-nancy-brown 

We remember them, and hold space for them, and send their loved ones our condolences and prayers, and whatever assistance we are able to provide. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be able to assist these case and to help return our LGBTQ+ siblings to their families and friends who knew them and continue to love them.

We hope that in the next year that TDTF and LAMMP will be widely recognized as a resource when an LGBTQ+ loved one goes missing, or an unidentified decedent with ambiguous or indeterminate gender is found.