Traces of a Life: The importance of Personal Effects after Death
Updated: Jul 18
Please note this article discusses sensitive subjects around missing persons and death. It also contains links to websites and data which some people may find distressing.
In the UK, there are over 900 cases of unidentified deceased people that date back to the 1950s. At the time of writing this article, 552 of these cases could be found on the National Crime Agency Missing Persons Unit (NCA MPU) database. The database, which can be accessed by the public, supports families of the missing in search of their loved ones as well as organisations responsible for locating and identifying the missing. Due to many of the circumstances these people are found, and that historic case predate the availability of DNA analysis, organisations rely on additional items as well as bodily remains found with the deceased in which to learn about them. Therefore, information about unidentified missing cases, where possible, feature photographs and images of clothes and personal effects in a bid that someone might recognise them.
One example of this would be Case number:18-010708. On 4th October 2018, the remains of Asian woman were found floating in the water off the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.
![Images from NCA MPU featured on MISSING DOE EUROPE. Available at: https://missingdoe.com/uf-0074/ [Links to an external site]. Accessed 26/04/2026].](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3207b6_72fa29deb7d44c0e91347bdd5958e1ec~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_381,h_82,al_c,q_80,enc_avif,quality_auto/3207b6_72fa29deb7d44c0e91347bdd5958e1ec~mv2.jpg)
"The body was recovered by Doolin Coast Guard and transferred to Limerick Mortuary for a post-mortem which determined there was no foul play and a DNA sample was taken. The body was that of an asian woman, approximately 5’ 8’’ in height, of slim build and estimated to be aged in her early 50s. Three items of jewellery were recovered on the body; a gold ring with the words “Caby” on the inside, a gold ring with green stones and a gold bracelet.
The deceased was buried on 2 April 2020 at Drumcliffe Cemetery in Ennis. To date she has never been identified"
O'Connor, N (2021) Gardaí renew appeal for help to identify four bodies found on the west coast, The Journal. Available at: https://www.thejournal.ie/gardai-appeal-for-help-to-identify-bodies-found-in-clare-and-sligo-5588431-Oct2021/. [Links to an external site]. Accessed 26/04/2026].
So many questions could be asked about these items:
Did they belong to the person they were found with? Were they gifts, bought or found, and from who or where?
Is there a family out there looking for this woman unaware of her death and unable to mourn fully?
If there are friends and family searching for her, that means that these belongings are the only potential clues linking her to her known life. Would the family come across the websites that host this information? And would they recognise the items as featured and described?
The important weight personal effects hold has been documented within reports of families looking to identify their loved ones in circumstances surrounding Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).
Lasting Impressions
In 2023 I started to explore the NCA MPU Database, concerned that the final images and words held on this platform would form the final legacy for these people.
With six years of experience in Funeralcare, I understand the importance of memorialising someone and the value of their personal effects. When a family arrange a funeral, the ‘About Me’ is one of the most important records we have and will often tell of where the deceased was born, where they grew up, their profession, surrounding family and hobbies. They are asked about what they want their loved one to be dressed in and personal effects they would want with them. Clothes and mementoes are brought in from special occasions such as weddings and births, from time in service, or simple items of comfort.
“Personal effects are not just stuff... within an item that somebody had with them at the time they met their end there is an untold emotional weight, and it is not for us to judge how heavy... but death is transformative, not just to the person and the family; it changes the objects in a house. These objects become as Maggie Nelson wrote in the “Red Parts” ... – talismans...”
Featured quote from Mark Oliver, Kenyon Emergency Services (2022, p. 67)
Campbell, H. (2022) All the Living and the Dead: An exploration of the people who make death their life’s work. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PL
Lounging in my yard one sunny July day, I started to think about the imprints we leave; lip stains on a glass, fingerprints on a phone, footsteps in the garden... It seems almost strange that the objects we surround ourselves with, that we collect and inherit, often outlive us. We see examples of this in museum and galleries that house discovered treasures and finds from archaeological investigations, forming historical narratives and stories of human lives.
I started to wonder what impression our possessions might leave. I sat up, went inside, found some Sculpey and started to knead out the material. Retrieving some rosary beads that I’d bought on a trip to Rome in 2008, I pressed them into the soft matter. It left a near perfect imprint.
My journey in creating ‘Trace Fossils’ begins here. Tactile objects that hold the intrinsic nature of something potentially precious but require further interrogation as they negate colour or a full form. Subsequently, reminiscent of prehistoric fossil finds including 'Ichnofossils'. These objects, unique through their handcrafted nature, could be replicated, creating an opportunity for others to engage with artifacts in a tangible way without the original item being present.
Contemplating the phenomena around unidentified deceased persons where access to possessions is limited, I was curious if I could utilise an Artificially Intelligent (AI) 3D modelling programmes to translate photographs of possessions into something similar.
The images here show a photograph of the same rosary beads mentioned above, imported into an AI programme and then 3D printed. The result is successful in its depiction of the necklace and formation. However, the AI is assumptive meaning certain parameters such as size need to be input, and the 3D printed result could be classed as clumsy or rough.
Stepping Stones
The methods I have used to create ‘Trace Fossils’ demonstrate the challenges around the quality and level of information left. Imprinting in the clay or Sculpey leave more accurate impressions however only part of the object is caught. Relying on partial information to construct a full picture is problematic. Palaeontologists continue to face challenges in correctly depicting prehistoric mammals.
Even with the object present, its translation through drawing, text, photography, imprinting and 3D print through AI, produce numerous anomalies illustrating the difficulty in using any one of them as truth. These artifacts then become representative of the intersections between forensic enquiry and creative interpretation, inviting discourse about what visibly remains.
The use of personal effects as secondary identifiers within unidentified missing persons cases demonstrates that they hold great evidential value, however in the absence of their owner what story do they tell us? Just as with Archaeological and Paleolithic finds, the remaining information may be prone to bias or misinterpretation from either the author or the reader. There are ethical considerations in disseminating sensitive information that could also unintentionally form legacies for these unnamed lives, impacting the deceased and their loved ones. With the continual need to publicise these cases, great care is required when deliberating the ways in which to appeal to the public.
About the author
Sarah Leader is a Multidisciplinary Artist and former Funeral Arranger based in Liverpool, UK. She completed a Fine Art BA at London Metropolitan University in 2008 where her practice was conceptually focused on theories of palimpsest, culminating in process led paintings.
After studying, Leader found herself working for creative agencies in account management, later returning to her art practice in 2020. She currently has a studio space at Arena Studios in the creative Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool and has been working in funeralcare for six years. She is also currently studying the MA Art in Science programme at Liverpool John Moore’s University.
Leader's current practice stems from her research into the phenomena around unidentified human lives of which there are over 900 in the UK.
Her experience as a funeral arranger has led her to consider how these lives might be memorialised under these uncertain circumstances. As an artist she seeks to creatively and ethically support recognition of these lives through art and exhibition. Most recently she curated The Inquiry Room which was part of Independent Liverpool Biennial in June 2025. Her current portfolio of work explores themes around materiality and memorialisation.
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