Use of DNA in the Forensic Identification of Charred Remains of Victims of Fire Disaster: Our Lagos Experience.
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Abstract
When identifying remains of humans in forensic medicine, it is the practice to compare the genetic profile of the deceased person's remains with reference samples of related individuals, typically parents. Here we describe, for the first time, the identification of adults’ remains using a sample of reference of the subject's charred remains.
Materials and methods: 12 body bags containing remains of victims were subjected to analysis, short tandem repeat(STR) DNA analysis was performed on femur, blood and iliopsoas muscle samples of remains, DNA analysis of reference samples were also done. The matching was then performed for each on a 3500 Applied Biosystem Genetic Analyser to give the results.
Result: Table 1 shows the short tandem repeats samples (in base pairs) obtained at various genetic loci D2S44, D4S139, D5S110 and D10S28 from the biological samples of one of the 9 victims. A total of nine victims were identified from the 12 body bags that were brought, crosspacking of the body parts was observed, bodies of the nine victims were positively identified.
Conclusion: In the absence of medical records, STR DNA analysis is used in DNA profiling and compare with other profile in a data base to identify potential matches, determine familial relationships and identify human remains in disaster situations or mass graves.
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