Y-chromosomal Analysis Identifies the Skeletal Remains of Swiss National Hero Jurg Jenatsch 1596-1639

• NCJ Number: 246436
• Journal: Forensic Science International: Genetics Volume: 7 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2013 Pages: 610-617
• Author(s): Cordula Haas; Natallia Shved; Frank J. Rühli; Christina Papageorgopoulou; Josephine Purps; Maria Geppert; Sascha Willuweit; Lutz Roewer; Michael Krawczak
• Date Published: December 2013
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Jurg Jenatsch was a Swiss defender of independence and a fighter for liberty in the 17th century.

Abstract

Jurg Jenatsch was a Swiss defender of independence and a fighter for liberty in the 17th century. With the help of three living male members of the Jenatsch family, we successfully identified a skeleton exhumed from Chur cathedral as the remains of Jurg Jenatsch. Our conclusion was based upon complete Y-STR and Y-SNP profiles that could be generated by replicate analyses of a bone sample available to us. The skeleton and the three living family members carried the same Y-SNP haplogroup, but were discordant at three of 23 Y-STR loci. This notwithstanding, conservative biostatistical evaluation of the data suggests that the Chur skeleton is at least 20 times more likely than not to be Jurg Jenatsch.