NCJ Number
223111
Journal
Forensic Science International: Genetics Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 212-218
Date Published
June 2008
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This report describes a case that involved the analysis of DNA extracted from the femur of a skeleton that was determined to have undergone 10 years of decomposition after death and exposure to the extreme temperatures associated with forest fires.
Abstract
Applying two extraction protocols to isolate DNA from the decomposed, charred femur, a range of established and recently developed forensic marker sets that included mini-short tandem repeat sets (STRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to type the sample and confirm identity by comparison to the claimed daughter of the deceased. DNA was isolated with two different extraction methods. Using the product of each in parallel analyses, DNA was typed with two standard STR kits and then compared to two SNP assays, three mini-STRs multiplexes, and a performance benchmark (HV1 mtDNA sequencing). The context for this DNA analysis was the discovery of a set of charred skeletal remains during forest fires in the region of Galicia, Spain, in the summer of 2006. At issue was whether the skeletal remains were those of a victim of the current fires or that of a man reported missing from the area 10 years ago. The daughter of the missing man was available for DNA comparison. The paper's descriptions of materials and methods addresses sample preparation, DNA extraction and quantitation, standard STR and mtDNA typing, SNP typing, and mini-STR typing. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 13 references