Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. Jarrett Morris helping to identify victims in Maui
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.– The California Governor’s Emergency Services Office deployed Lieutenant Jarrett Morris to Maui in the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires.
He and other County Sheriff's agencies are in the field, helping the community identify victims who died in the fire.
Morris has experience with special DNA technology - “The Ande Rapid DNA System”
“It's essentially a DNA lab in a chip, and you can think of it more like the size of a little bit bigger than like a hard drive of a computerand that allows us to develop these dna profiles if we're testing tissue or bone,” said LT. Morris. “It takes a little over two hours.”
The Ande Rapid DNA System allows Morris to develop dna profiles with tissues or bones and take a buccal swap or a cheek sample from a referencing family member.
This technology was used to identify victims from the Conception Dive-Boat Fire Disaster in waters off Santa Barbara County back in September 2019 and those who perished in the Paradise "Camp fire."
Now, it is being used in Maui.
“We have confirmed 19 individuals with their identity, with the use of rapid dna technology,” said LT. Morris. “And we have also identified good samples from other victims from the Lahaina wildfires.”
That number will continue to go up.
Morris says he is training the maui police department on how to use this technology, so they can utilize this tool when needed.
“We're also working on cultural sensitivity training for the people that are on the ground here with this program so they understand what we're dealing with and how it's different from maybe California and other parts of the mainland,” said Morris.
Morris hopes to identify as many victims as possible.
He is expected to be there until next week.
“A lot of people been asking how they can donate to the the community here in Maui, and my reclamation, my recommendation is through the Salvation Army of Maui,“ Lt. Morris.
