Woman finds challenge, reward in forensic genealogy

Looking for something to do in retirement, something that is rewarding and benefits others? You might consider forensic genealogy. Talk to Donna Martin-Netherton of rural Farmington in beautiful Van Buren County. Just the trip to her and her husband?s home, tucked away on the scenic Des Moines River, puts a smile on your face.

In her early 70s, Donna retired after 26 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She was looking for something to do from home that would keep her brain busy and help others. She had prepared genealogies of her family, so she joined the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), a group of volunteers who do research for coroners online.

When someone dies, the coroner is obligated by law to notify the next-of-kin (NOK). The coroners must perform what is known as ?due diligence? to make sure they?ve done everything they can to find the NOK. If the coroners run into road blocks, which can happen, they may send the information to APG. The information is usually in the form of a name, birth date, social security number or, if they?re lucky, parents? names. APG does research using what they call reverse genealogy. They find the deceased?s parents and maybe the grandparents, and then reverse the process. They go back and look for the next biological NOK who is living. They construct what is called a genealogical circle.

They then write a report for the coroners. They list the decedent?s children, parents, and siblings, along with addresses and phone numbers. The coroner then calls the NOK and notifies them of the death.

In March of 2009, Donna teamed up with Marcia Bignall of Williamsburg, Va., and formed Park Street Research, LLC. It is a pro bono organization that does forensic genealogy for coroners, medical examiners, and law-enforcement organizations. To date, Donna and Marcia have worked on 523 cases. They have eight cases pending. A case might take 12 hours or more. Coroners inherently don?t have the budget to pay for research work, and law-enforcement organizations don?t have the time.

Donna and Marcia started forensic genealogy as a hobby. The work is very rewarding. They get lots of feedback from coroners in the form of emails: ?We?ve contacted the family of John Doe and they are extremely grateful for the information,? etc.

Many of the families have been estranged for 20 or 30 years. A brother disappears. When Park Street Research discovers what happened to the missing brother, the family might say, ?At least we know what happened to him.?

Donna and Marcia also do unclaimed persons, cold cases and murder cases. They do not do family genealogies.

They had a case a short while ago that involved the bones of a Jane Doe who died in the desert in 1995. The law-enforcement organization thought they knew the name of the person, but weren?t sure. They asked Park Street Research to find someone who was living so that the agency could make sure it was the right woman. Donna and Marcia went to work, like Agatha Christie detectives. They were able to find a son who was living on the East Coast. The law-enforcement agency contacted the son to get a DNA sample. It was a perfect match. Bingo.

Donna and Marcia do work online in California, Texas, Georgia, Florida and Nevada. Coroners in Iowa have other sources. Most of Donna and Marcia?s work is performed using data bases, newspaper files, telephone listings, etc.

They have a website: www.parkstreetresearch.org. Contact Donna or Marcia if you want more information. They would love to hear from you.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com. Curt also reads his stories at www.lostlakeradio.com and 106.3 FM in Farmington.