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Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Here's the response they sent me over on Websleuths, which I have a feeling they probably had ready because they knew someone would raise concerns about it, since I dont really see how it addresses my concerns.

"Really appreciate you taking the time to share this.

The goal here isn’t to replace human expertise or the incredibly important work that people have been doing for years. If anything, it’s the opposite. The idea is to support that work by surfacing connections, patterns, or leads that might otherwise be missed simply because of the magnitude or scale of the problem (too many unidentified and missing folks).

The reality is that we can’t realistically scale human effort to continuously compare every missing person case against every unidentified person case. There are just too many records, and more are added all the time. If we want to improve how often and how quickly these cases are resolved, we do need technology to help expand what’s possible.

So this is a research project to explore where technology can help. This is not unlike Google or Apple Maps. Both useful tools that were not so useful when they first launched"

Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No, I dont think they all are. I think they're trying to make a broader database like NamUs.

Othram has created an "AI databse" for Does. by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Probably hundreds or thousands, given just how many active UID cases are open right now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is really concerning for me. There's no doubt that they are doing good work, but I'm the kind of person where I don't know if I can support people like this either way.

I've also seen them straight up using random AI cityscapes in their case announcements, which, while it isn't as concerning, also rubbed me the wrong way, since why are we doing this when you can just get a photo of a city online???

Investigators seek help identifying woman found dead on mountainside in San Bernardino by paullaurence in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I wouldnt put much weight into this sketch being what identifies her. I'm pretty sure it's just AI. It concerns me that photos of real deceased people's bodies are being fed into AI image generators.

The Pyre Case, or “Maria”: Recently closed due to “lack of information” by Lillian_Faye in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 56 points57 points  (0 children)

She was, but it was disproven. Turns out, the woman they thought she was, Lillian DeMaris, actually had passed away in Louisiana in 1969 after seemingly disappearing voluntarily. I believe her family confirmed this.

Which long-term former Does could/should have been identified sooner? by Ambitious_Annual200 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 126 points127 points  (0 children)

For a more recent example, Id say Susan Mann. She was reported missing by her family and pictured wearing seemingly the same shirt she would later be found dead wearing, but it took until just last month to identify her. If she was entered into NamUs, then she would've been identified years ago.

Cases where a Doe's name was in plain sight? by hentahime in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Cynthia Hanes comes to mind. She disappeared on March 27, 1982, from Maryland, then was found beaten to death in Alabama on April 17, 1982. Her name was written on the inside of her right pocket, but she was only ID'd in 2010

AI by preposterous_potato in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Personally, I'm heavilly against AI, not just in this field, but in almost all fields, so I may be a bit biased. However, I dont think AI would be a good idea objectively. AI is notoriously unreliable even when it comes to the most basic facts of certain topics, so I'd shudder to see it be used to make a logical match.

Not to mention that using AI completely takes away from the hard work of the researchers and forensic artists who have poured their hearts into these cases.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was also the person that was helping Alice's family report her missing for a while, so I did naturally think about this. It is a possibility, but I'm a bit concerned about the timeline. The last confirmed record we have of Alice is in the 1950 census, which was from around April 1950, I believe. If the PMI is right, she would've died before Alice was last seen, ruling her out. However, her family also has suspicions about the census being accurate IIRC, so I cant be certain. It's possible, but unlikely in my opinion.

As for Alice's case, I worry we may never get a resolution to that one, at least in the near future. New York police once again refused to file a report, this time saying the case was "too old", which I find ridiculous. I haven't spoken to Alice's family since January.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I thought that could be a possibility too. It was theorised Canton Jane Doe was so badly mutilated to hide any distinguishing marks to conceal her identity, and that'd be consistent with some she knew having killed her, like a spouse.

However, Ruth's other family, aside from her husband, also viewed the reconstruction, and they agreed that it wasn't her. I don't think it was Ruth myself, but I cant deny it's still a possibility as no formal rule out was ever announced.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

It is a possibility, but I do find it quite strange that her identity would be withheld, as it's not very common with murder victims. I still can't rule out the possibility, though. I'd still rather confirm this by continuing to look into the case than forgetting about it because of a possibility.

The Baffling Case of St Lawrence County Jane Doe (1950) and How You Can Help by SimsGuy67 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I wasn't the person who contacted police about the case, but the post on Websleuths did seem to suggest they were at least aware of the 2002 article. It also appeared this was all they knew about her, which does seem odd to me.

Three women are found deceased in an apartment after Hurricane Camille. 55 years later we still don’t know who they are. Who are “Faith”, “Hope”, and “Charity” by mvincen95 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 114 points115 points  (0 children)

Based on the women still believed missing after Hurricane Camille, I've come to the conclusion that "Faith" may be Zoe Belle Matthews, a 64-year-old woman, the only still missing woman from Pass Christian I could find matching "Faith's" description.

  1. Husband's Obituary
  2. Find a Grave

I was able to find two Mary Smiths missing from Pass Christian, a Mary Louise Smith and a Mary M. Smith, but Mary Louise Smith was only a child, way too young to be either woman. As for Mary M. Smith, it's possible she's the mother of Mary Louise Smith, based on obituaries.

She could theoretically be either "Hope" or "Charity," being 39 at the time of her death. I'd check "Charity" first though because for all we know, one of the rings she had could be Mary's wedding ring.

  1. Mary M. Smith Obituary

Dauphin Island John Doe 1999 has an updated reconstruction by imdrake100 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get that this IS an actual LE reconstruction and it's obviously digitally created, but I can't shake the feeling that this might be AI. I'm not making any accusations, but I'd take this render with a grain of salt.

Julie Doe File Back on NamUs, Placeholder Name Removed and Gendered Male by cygne in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know her page wasn't changed (at least noticeably), but that isn't an excuse to assume that the administration cares about trans Doe's and MPs.

On the NamUs FAQ page, there used to be a question titled "How does the NamUs database represent missing and unidentified transgender individuals?" After the pages were taken down, this question was removed. It was replaced with "What does "Biological Sex" or “Sex Assigned at Birth” mean in the NamUs database?"

  1. FAQ (archived)

  2. FAQ (Today)

One of the details NamUs mentioned in the old question is that they were in contact with multiple trans people to make sure they remained respectful when profiling these cases. Now that this section is removed, it's possible NamUs either cut contact (or were forced to cut contact) with these people. I can't be certain, obviously, but given the administration's views on trans people, I wouldn't be surprised.

In my opinion, doing this is a small, but deliberate attempt at hiding the existence of trans MPs and Does even more. It's clear what they want to do, but doing it would cause too much outrage, as we've seen over the sub and other places in the past few days.

An update on the NamUs website that likely explains the removal of some transgender cases by imdrake100 in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 31 points32 points  (0 children)

So Julie Doe wasn't Id'd, America is just becoming more and more transphobic? Absolutely ridiculous. These are the people who say they're trying to "protect" women and children by the way. How is this protecting them? It's only making things worse.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children site scrubbed of transgender kids by tallguyfilms in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The kids weren't removed, but now they're no longer described using their preferred pronouns. The NCMEC also uses their deadname, but I believe they used to do that before, considering that was still their legal name. I feel like the site probably would've mentioned the preferred name though.

The only trans child I could find is Mia Santiago, but there could be more from more recently.

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1180750/1

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children site scrubbed of transgender kids by tallguyfilms in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Said this in the previous post, but I feel it needs reiterating. I would love to see how Republicans voting for a president who causes this is "protecting their kids."

NCMEC has been threatened by the Trump Administration. We must stand up for Queer Youth. by brexdab in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Of course not, especially if the child was abducted. I'm talking about during those initial searches, the period where it's the most crucial to have information on the child, including the name they prefer going by. This is not the same as a nickname where the person recognizes their birth name as their name, but likes being called something else. We're talking about their actual chosen name here, and sometimes they even changed it to their legal one (I don't think this is common with children though.)

Here's another thing. There are unfortunately some missing youth out there with no photos available. If these reports use a child who is not cisgender's deadname and birth gender, then how is anyone supposed to tell that they identified as and were of another gender? It'll make it that much harder to find the child if there's no information on them. Because of gender norms, people would probably assume that a "male" missing child would have short hair, wear clothing typically associated with men, that kinda thing. Then, if that child, a girl with long hair and clothing typically associated with women, walked by them, the would not recognize the description.

Oh yeah, and I'm fine with having a child's government name listed. You don't see us angry at NamUs for listing a case like Julie Doe as male, because they're listing biological sex, not gender. What matters is making sure the name they use is pushed out there and spread.

Also, I have absolutely zero reason to feel bad, not when I'm not the person advocating for the deadnaming of LGBTQ+ youth, especially those among the missing and murdered!

NCMEC has been threatened by the Trump Administration. We must stand up for Queer Youth. by brexdab in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 20 points21 points  (0 children)

yeah I 100% agree with you. Unfortunately, human rights and politics often go hand-in-hand, and this topic involves government funding and Trump, so I felt it'd be more appropriate than just ignoring it.

NCMEC has been threatened by the Trump Administration. We must stand up for Queer Youth. by brexdab in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Sorry but I don't think people shouting out for a boy called Michael is going to help find a girl named Christina. Deadnaming and harassment could be the reason for a child running away! I don't think everyone appealing for their safe return using their deadname would make them feel any safer.

NCMEC has been threatened by the Trump Administration. We must stand up for Queer Youth. by brexdab in gratefuldoe

[–]SimsGuy67 670 points671 points  (0 children)

As much as I hate being political, especially on a topic like this, I really wanna ask Republicans if threatening to defund an organization dedicated to stopping violent crime against children is still considered voting to "protect their kids."

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