According to special agent Barry Vecchioni, at the FBI, San Diego office, DNA technology is changing almost daily. What was not a viable sample 6 months ago in many cases is usable now.

DNA is a science that was once held in such regard that it was understood that only highly trained professionals could collect samples and maintain their integrity for use in court if ever needed to prove a link between a victim and a criminal. Now, we are all being encouraged to have samples of our children's DNA available so that if the unlikely and heart wrenching trauma of a child being missing ever happened to us, we would have something concrete to quickly provide the authorities to assist in identifying that child if found in and they were unable to talk.

Here is some of the information that can assist the every day parent, guardian or caregiver in proper methods of collecting these samples and what to do with them once you have them collected.
LATEST UPDATE: (July 2003)
WHAT MAKES A VIABLE DNA SAMPLE:
1. Saliva (1st choice (using a clean sterile swab inside the cheek)
1. Blood (2nd choice)
3. Hair strands (10 - 20 strands pulled from head with folicle still attached)
4. Skin sample
5. Finger or toe nail
4. Tooth (such as a baby tooth or one that was removed for dental reasons including root material.)

According to the Serological Research Institute (A Non-profit Corporation Serving the Forensic Sciences and the Legal Community) and a resource provided by the FBI, the above DNA resources are all viable samples.

Gary Harmor, Senior Forensic Serologist at Serological Research Institute the following techniques should give you a very viable sample. He also said there are two ways in which to successfully store your samples.

UPDATE: JULY 2003 Room Temperature
[NOTE: S.A.F.E. Network has been using the plastic ziplock bags in our personal safety id kits because we felt that the information provided us by the SRA was reliable. The FBI is no longer telling people that plastic bags are ok. The only accepted method currently is the use of paper bags or envelopes. All future kits will have these envelopes instead of the plastic bags.]

All samples can be kept for 5 years and safely retain their viability. (A sample that is collected from saliva inside the cheek can last for up to 35 years if dried properly before placing in a plastic ziplock bag and stored at room temperature in a dry environment.)

(NOTE: If you live in a humid area, or an extremely cold area where moisture could affect the quality of the dna sample, it should be stored in a paper bag.

Frozen
If kept frozen all samples should last indefinitely.

Saliva sample
If you use a sterile swab to take the saliva sample, you want to let it dry in a clean an undisturbed location for at least an hour. Then you can cut the stick of the swab down short enough to fit into a small ziplock bag. If your sample gets contaminated with moisture or other substances, create a new sample immediately.

Hair sample
Be sure to use at least 10-20 pulled hair strands.

Finger or toe nails sample
If using nails, be sure the child's hands and nails are cleaned just prior to collection. Use rubber gloves and attempt to avoid any contact with your own hands or other dna from you.