Thank you for being willing to consider uploading your DNA to GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, the two companies that assist with the valuable work of identifying victims, etc. If you have already tested at one of the major companies, it is FREE to take the next step and upload to those 2 sites. See below for instructions.
The Bear Brook Case (behind the scenes)
Step 1: Download your DNA from whichever company you tested at (see below for DOWNLOAD directions for doing this at 4 major companies) and save it to your computer.
Step 2: Upload your DNA from your computer to GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA (see bottom of page for UPLOAD directions)
These instructions were updated January 2021 and written while using a laptop. The process may look slightly different on other devices.
DOWNLOADING
Downloading from Ancestry:
1. Sign in to your account at www.ancestry.com. On the home page, click on "DNA" on the bar at the top of your page. If you have lost your account info, you can call the company at 1-800-615-6560 and they will help you. They are very friendly and are available well into the evening
2. Click on the dropdown "Your DNA Results Summary"
3. Click on the "Settings" box on the right of your screen (has a little gear next to it)
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page under the word "ACTIONS" and click on the little blue down arrow that says "Download"
5. Now you will have to enter your Ancestry password in the box, check the "I understand..." box and click on the green word "Confirm"
6. This will send an email to the account you used to set up your Ancestry account. In your email, click on the blue "Download DNA data" box
7. On the screen that opens, click on the green "Download DNA data" box
8. When the download appears in the little box at the bottom left of your screen (it will have a little yellow folder with a zipper through it and say "dna-data-2021-..." etc). Don't open it but notice what it is named so you can find it later.
9. Now your DNA folder is saved in your downloads for when you get ready to upload
Troubleshooting hints
Downloading from 23andme:
1. Sign in to your account at www.23andme.com. On the home page, click on your name on the upper right next to the little down arrow
2. Go to the dropdown "Browse Raw Data" under your name
3. Click on the blue "download" link near the top of the screen
4. Scroll down and check the empty box beside the "I understand the limitations and risks...
5. Click on the blue "Submit request" button and you will be sent an email at the address you used to sign up for 23andme.
6. Open your email and click on the "Download Raw Data" green button.
7. On the screen that opens, click on the blue "Download raw data" button.
8. The downloaded file will pop up on your screen (prob bottom left) (it will have a little yellow folder with a zipper through it and say "genome_your name_...zip...") Don't open it but notice what it is named so you can find it later.
9. Now your DNA folder is saved in your downloads for when you get ready to upload
Downloading from My Heritage:
Apparently DNA files from MH can be downloaded only to a computer or an Android device. They cannot be downloaded using an iPhone or ipad.
1. Log in to your account at www.MyHeritage.com. On the home page, hover over the DNA tab across the top of your screen and drop down to "Manage DNA kits"
2. Click on the 3 vertical dots to the right of your kit and select the "Download" option
3. In the new window that opens, check the empty box next to "I confirm that ..." and click the purple "Continue" button
4. In the new window that opens re. Terms of Service etc, click on the purple "Continue" button and you will be sent an email to the address you used to sign up for MyHeritage
5. Click the purple "Close" button
5. Open your email and click on the link "continue with the download" this step will take you back to MyHeritage to log in
6. Then click on the purple "Download" button
7. You will be asked to enter your password one more time
8. The downloaded file will pop up on your screen (prob bottom left) (it will have a little yellow folder with a zipper through it and say "MyHeritage_raw_d...zip"). Don't open it but notice what it is named so you can find it later.
Downloading from FTDNA:
If you have tested at FTDNA originally, then your DNA is already in a database that can be accessed to identify unidentified individuals. However, it is also helpful to upload it to GEDmatch because of the tools available at that site.
1. Sign in to your account at www.familytreedna.com. On the home page, click on the "Data Download" button on the right of your screen.
2. At the bottom of your screen, click on the orange arrow that says "Build 37 Autosomal Raw Data"
3. The downloaded file will pop up on your screen (prob bottom left) (it will have a little paper icon with "(your unique kit number)_Auto...csv.gz." Don't open it but notice what it is named so you can find it later when you are ready to upload.
UPLOADING
UPLOADING your DNA to GEDmatch:
1. You will need to register at GEDmatch.com by scrolling down to where it says "Click Here" below the Log In boxes
2. Enter your info on the User Registration screen. If you don't want your real name showing on your account, you can make up a screen name. However, whatever email address to use to sign up for the account will be shown by your name. Click the "Register" button
3. Open your email and copy the code that was emailed to you into the box on your GEDmatch screen and click the "Confirm" box
4. You will have to log back in to GEDmatch via the blue "Login" box at the top right of your screen
5. At the bottom of the Terms of Service, you will be given 3 options- to choose Option 1 (Accept) "Click Here"
6. On the right side of the screen, under the caption "Upload your DNA Files," click on the blue link "Generic Uploads..."
7. Fill out the GEDmatch raw DNA utility screen. Enter an alias for how you want to be shown to your DNA matches. You don't need to fill out any haplogroup info unless you know it. For name of testing company, choose from the dropdown. Choose whether it is your DNA being uploaded or whatnot. Choose opt-in if you are ok with your DNA being compared to kits uploaded by law enforcement. Choose opt-out if you don't want your DNA available for this. Choosing opt-out will still allow your DNA to be compared to unidentified victims and remains
8. Click the button that says "Choose file." Now open your downloads and find the DNA kit you uploaded, click on it, and click "open"
9. Now click the "Upload" button on the bottom right. Now WAIT for the next screen to appear!!! Don't click it twice or leave the screen before the next screen appears
10. This is the step that people often do wrong. If a reCAPTCHA box appears, click the "I'm not a robot" option. If there is NO reCAPTCHA box that appears, click the "Proceed with processing" button
11. When the next screen appears, write down the kit number (in red) so you have it for the future.
12. Scroll down to the bottom and answer the Q asking "When will kit be available...?" by choosing "Typically within 24 to 48 hours" and click the "Submit answer" button
UPLOADING your DNA to FTDNA:
1. Got to FTDNA.com and in the upper left hover over UPLOAD DNA DATA and then click on the dropdown "Autosomal DNA"
2. Fill out the registration box and click the orange box "Join Today!"
3. Select your transfer type by clicking on which company you tested with and then click on the orange "browse file" link
4. When your download box opens, click on the DNA file (yellow folder with zipper through it) and click "Open"
5. Click the orange button "Submit" and this will pop up a kit number for you (Write it down!) and it will also email a password to the address you entered on Step 2.
6. Open the blue link that says "Sign the release from electronically" and fill in the registration info. The name you choose on this screen will be the name your matches see.
7. Click the orange button "Confirm and Proceed"
8. On the Terms of Service screen, check the box "I agree to..." and click the orange button "Confirm and Proceed" button
9. On the Consent to Participate in Matching screen, click the box next to "I agree..." and then click the orange button "Complete and Proceed to Dashboard"
10. Retrieve the password from your email. You will need the kit number and password to log in in the future.
At FTDNA, law enforcement matching is on by default when you turn DNA matching on or upload a new kit. To check, you can go to the top right of the page where it says your name and kit #, hover over it and you'll see account settings. Go to privacy and sharing, To view your DNA relatives, you must opt in to matching. Under it, Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching (IGGM). If your slider is blue and to the right, you've been opted in.
If desired, you can also upload your DNA for free to MyHeritage.com and LivingDNA to see more people that you match with, however these are not ones that law enforcement are able to access for matching. On My Heritage, you will have to pay a small one-time fee to unlock your results. Also when you upload to My Heritage, DON'T do the 14 day free trial option if you just want to upload to get DNA matches as they will start charging you after the 14 days. Use this link: https://www.myheritage.com/dna/upload
GOOD LUCK with your uploads and feel free to email me at oakhillresearch@gmail.com if you are having difficulty!
Ronda
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