DUBLIN, Ireland - According to data gathered from the state's coroners, the remains of 27 people are unidentified.

The new information came from data submitted to the Department of Justice by coroners after it requested details on all human remains within their districts dating back 70 years.

The department's first-of-its-kind investigation discovered 13 unidentified whole remains and 14 partial remains in Ireland; seven are male, three are female, and the rest are unidentified.

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice, stated, "all coroners were written last year and asked to provide information on any unidentified remains within their districts."

"The intention now is for my office to pass this information on to An Garda Siochana and hopefully allow and support the missing person unit with Forensic Science Ireland to identify more missing individuals and hopefully help more families," she said.

The National Missing Persons Helpline, which represents families of missing people, expressed hope that the figure of 27 unidentified remains is correct, given that Ireland has over 800 people listed as missing.