How Forensic Analysis May Bring Closure To Guatemalan Families In The D.C. Area.

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Thousands of Central Americans fled to the United States during the region's civil wars and shortly after their conclusions. While some of those who sought a new life in the US have been war criminals, most were simply looking to escape the violence and poverty of their countries. In a report for American University Radio, Armando Trull investigates How Forensic Analysis May Bring Closure To Guatemalan Families In The D.C. Area.

Over the decades, the Foundation DNA database has grown as more remains are exhumed and so has the database of survivors looking for their “seres queridos desaparecidos” — disappeared loved ones.

"We have been able to gain their trust by respecting their customs, by respecting the land, by respecting the bones," Peccerelli says.

It's through that respect and trust that the FAFG has identified nearly 1,600 remains. Peccerelli says the remains are returned to relatives for a dignified burial. And when there is some bit of clothing along with the bones, the impact on the survivors can be visceral.

"This T-shirt, this pair of pants, this belt that was made by the wife for her husband actually means that this is the person that was missing, this is their loved one, this is the person that they've been dreaming about and looking for over three decades," Peccerelli says.

Peccerelli says the Foundation will expand its services to the United States.

“There are many people in the United States — over 1.5 million Guatemalans that are there because of the conflict, that have people that are missing, that were disappeared, that were forcibly disappeared," he says.

Outreach efforts to Guatemalan immigrants have begun, first in Los Angeles and now in the metro D.C. area.

“To let them know that there is something they can do, that there is now an organization that is willing to take their DNA samples and their stories and search for the bodies," Peccerelli says.

The article includes audio and video. You can also watch Fredy Peccerelli speak about his forensic work in this video.

Last year, PRI put together a story on A Push is on in the US to reunite families torn apart by El Salvador's Civil War.