Meet the Montreal-area woman who solves cold cases from her computer

Meet the Quebecer trying to solve cold cases With new DNA techniques and the rising popularity of true-crime shows, some people have taken it upon themselves to help resolve cold cases

"Unidentified Human Remains Canada" is not the catchiest name for a Facebook group.

But for founder Jan Guppy, it's at the heart of a personal initiative to find answers about missing people across Canada -- beginning with unidentified remains in morgues around the country.

"We have all these unidentified bodies in Canada. Who is doing these comparisons? I want to know who these people were," Guppy told CTV News at her home in Laval, Que.

2,500 people are currently listed in Canada as either dead and unidentified, or missing without a trace.

When they're adults and no foul play is suspected, police don't always follow up -- and this is where Guppy's work begins.

"Immediately, my first thing is I wanna make sure that DNA has been collected, family DNA, and that is within the national database in Canada," she explained.

The RCMP's national DNA database isn't public. But Guppy has enough contacts among police and coroners to quickly get information.

In many cases, it leads to answers.

For example, a man's unidentified body was found floating off the coast of B.C. Guppy shared images of his distinctive tattoos online, which were recognized by a relative.

"I called the FBI," Guppy recounted. "And the FBI did get involved, and they did go meet with the family, and they did collect DNA."

It was a match.

Guppy's job became easier following the various reports on missing and murdered Indigenous women, which forced police to improve their methods.

But Guppy's cold calls to police aren't always welcome.

"A lot of them will get a little pissed off at me, like 'who do you think you are,' and I'll say 'I'm the one who's gonna make sure this place is searched.'"

The job is also emotionally challenging.

The results of her searches, more often than not, lead to a dead body

And for some families, it doesn't always bring a sense of closure -- but at least it provides some answers.