The raging Maui wildfires have left victims so marred that their bodies “fall apart” as authorities try to sift through the ashes. “We pick up remains and they fall apart,” Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said on Saturday. It’s a visceral reality, and one that’s making it particularly difficult to identify the remains of the deceased. Of the estimated 96 people killed so far, only two have been identified. To help move things along, officials have encouraged family members with missing relatives to provide DNA samples. “We need you to do the DNA test. We need to identify your loved ones,” Pelletier said Sunday. It’s been nearly a week since the fires began and only 3 percent of the area has been surveyed, spelling a morbid future as the death toll is expected to continue rising with time. More than 1000 people are still missing.
