Coroner’s office opens facility to ID victims of Las Vegas shooting
Clark County authorities have opened a 24-hour center at the Las Vegas Convention Center to assist with information and identification of victims of the Sunday night shooting that killed 59 people and wounded more than 525.
“This is a tragic incident and our condolences go out to everyone involved,” county Coroner John Fudenberg said in a statement. “Our goal in setting up the Family Assistance Center is to provide support and comfort to family members, and at the same time gather the information we need to ensure victims of this terrible incident are properly identified.”
The Clark County Fire Department, coroner and Metropolitan Police Department are working together to run the 24-hour facility at 3150 Paradise Road. It will provide counseling, child care, interfaith reflection, and medical and lodging assistance.
Private interviews are conducted with family members to gather items to aid in the identification process. Items may include dental records, DNA samples, photos and other information.
Worried family and friends trying to locate missing loved ones in Las Vegas are also advised to make a report. Callers in Nevada can dial 3-1-1, while out-of-state callers can call 1-866-535-5654.
At times a busy signal may be heard, while other times the caller will get a voicemail. If a voicemail is reached, people are asked to leave their information, so their call can be returned as soon as possible. Once the caller gets through, it may take a few minutes to be connected with someone.
The following information will be asked of the missing person:
— Name
— Social Security number or date of birth
— Whether he or she is a U.S. citizen
— Age
— Whether he or she is married
— Race
— Phone number
The information is submitted to local authorities, hospitals and the coroner’s office. When enough details are gathered the caller will be contacted with an update.
People can also text their ZIP code to 898211 for assistance. If preferred nevada211.org offers a chat option, which is located at the top of the website.
Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.
This story has been changed to include updated information.
