The Ryan Lim Act: No Family Should Spend Months Searching When Answers Already Exist
The Issue
Important Note About Donations
Your signature is the only support I am asking for.
DONATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS PETITION AND DO NOT SUPPORT THE RYAN LIM ACT OR MY ADVOCACY WORK.
If you choose to contribute through Change.org, those funds go to Change.org and its operations, NOT to this initiative.
In November 2022, 19-year-old Ryan Lim died in San Diego County and remained unidentified for five months. Ryan was an artist, a surfer, a skater and despite contacting the medical examiners office and describing Ryan's self designed tattoos and dreadlocks, he remained unidentified. He was at the medical examiners when contact was made and for months after. During that time, his family and friends desperately searched for Ryan, contacted authorities, and sought answers about his whereabouts. Ryan was ultimately identified after information about him was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). The County of San Diego later settled litigation related to the case.
Ryan's case exposed critical gaps in how unidentified individuals are investigated and how families are notified.
California law requires the collection of fingerprints, DNA, photographs, and other identifying information from unidentified remains, but there are currently no clear statewide requirements establishing timelines for NamUs entry, standardized family inquiry procedures, or regular case reviews when identification efforts stall.
The Ryan Lim Act seeks to establish common-sense public safety reforms, including:
Timely entry of unidentified persons into NamUs
Standardized identification procedures
Better documentation and follow-up on family inquiries
Accountability for unresolved unidentified-person cases
Greater transparency and oversight
Every unidentified person is someone's child, sibling, parent, or friend. No family should spend months searching for a loved one when answers may already exist.
Join us in supporting the Ryan Lim Act and helping ensure that other families do not endure the same uncertainty and trauma.
Call to Action
Sign this petition to support the Ryan Lim Act and help improve identification, notification, and accountability standards for unidentified individuals in California.
"I cannot change what happened to my son Ryan. But I hope to help change the systems that failed him. By signing this petition, you are helping ensure that other families receive answers sooner and that no loved one remains unidentified because critical opportunities were missed."
— Renee Lim, Founder, The Ryan Lim Act ❤️
379
The Issue
Important Note About Donations
Your signature is the only support I am asking for.
DONATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS PETITION AND DO NOT SUPPORT THE RYAN LIM ACT OR MY ADVOCACY WORK.
If you choose to contribute through Change.org, those funds go to Change.org and its operations, NOT to this initiative.
In November 2022, 19-year-old Ryan Lim died in San Diego County and remained unidentified for five months. Ryan was an artist, a surfer, a skater and despite contacting the medical examiners office and describing Ryan's self designed tattoos and dreadlocks, he remained unidentified. He was at the medical examiners when contact was made and for months after. During that time, his family and friends desperately searched for Ryan, contacted authorities, and sought answers about his whereabouts. Ryan was ultimately identified after information about him was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). The County of San Diego later settled litigation related to the case.
Ryan's case exposed critical gaps in how unidentified individuals are investigated and how families are notified.
California law requires the collection of fingerprints, DNA, photographs, and other identifying information from unidentified remains, but there are currently no clear statewide requirements establishing timelines for NamUs entry, standardized family inquiry procedures, or regular case reviews when identification efforts stall.
The Ryan Lim Act seeks to establish common-sense public safety reforms, including:
Timely entry of unidentified persons into NamUs
Standardized identification procedures
Better documentation and follow-up on family inquiries
Accountability for unresolved unidentified-person cases
Greater transparency and oversight
Every unidentified person is someone's child, sibling, parent, or friend. No family should spend months searching for a loved one when answers may already exist.
Join us in supporting the Ryan Lim Act and helping ensure that other families do not endure the same uncertainty and trauma.
Call to Action
Sign this petition to support the Ryan Lim Act and help improve identification, notification, and accountability standards for unidentified individuals in California.
"I cannot change what happened to my son Ryan. But I hope to help change the systems that failed him. By signing this petition, you are helping ensure that other families receive answers sooner and that no loved one remains unidentified because critical opportunities were missed."
— Renee Lim, Founder, The Ryan Lim Act ❤️
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Petition created on August 15, 2026