DNA Identification of Mass Fatalities

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how DNA analysis is carried out and its importance in certain circumstances. It particularly deals with the trauma of 9/11 and explains the advantages that DNA had over other identification methods in such a scenario. The author has included references to several studies that have been carried out as well as a diagram depicting human chromosomes and other tables of interest.

Outline:
Introduction
The aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers
How important is DNA evidence in this case?
Will everyone get identified?
Restrictions on how DNA evidence can be used
Fragment sizes
Decomposing DNA
How does the analysis get proper resource and funding?
DNA management
Source of DNA samples
Using Identification Number on the site
Storing into the database
How DNA analysis (methods) can be utilized in making identification
DNA Extraction
DNA amplification and analysis (PCR)
Mitochondrial DNA
Single nucleotide polymorphism
Short Tandem Repeat analysis
Identifying victims
Probability ratio in linking to the victims
Linking victims using relatives and family member's DNA
Limitation of modern technology
Conclusion
References

From the Paper:

"The deaths of thousands of innocent people can traumatize an entire nation, and this was the case on September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon. According to Gonzalez, Schofield and Schmitt (2006), "On September 11, 2001, 2,792 people were killed in terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. The number of victims, the condition of their remains, and the duration of the recovery effort made the identification of the victims the most difficult ever undertaken by the forensic community in this country" (p. 3). The use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a means of providing virtually positive identification of victims of mass disasters is of fairly recent origin having been introduced about 50 years ago, but the impetus is on to use these techniques for a wider range of forensic applications. For example, during the 1990s, a number of states began to develop DNA identification programs, and in 1993, the FBI implemented CODIS, a national program designed to (a) support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in their creation of a population statistical database; (b) improve DNA forensic analysis methods; and (c) to serve humanitarian purposes such as the identification of missing persons or the human remains from mass disasters (Lyon, 2002). The FBI in particular favored the development of the CODIS application based on its "productivity and efficiency," but former director of the FBI crime laboratory John Hicks described the computer databank as "nothing more than an information management and screening tool" (Hoeffel, 1990, p. 527). The former director also indicated, though, that he expected that the initiative would ". . . save time and effort, and courts will have fewer cases to process because investigations can be better focused and coordinated" (FBI, 1991, p. 37). The CODIS application links the DNA profiles of convicts gathered by scattered state law enforcement DNA labs, encourages uniform standards, and pools DNA data to facilitate identification of criminals across borders (Lyon, 2002). The thirteen DNA sites used in the CODIS database are illustrated in Figure 1 below."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Akram, S. M. (2002). The aftermath of September 11, 2001: The targeting of Arabs and Muslims in America. Arab Studies Quarterly, 61.
• Beecher-Monas, E., & Garcia-Rill, E. (2006). Genetic predictions of future dangerousness: Is there a blueprint for violence? Law and Contemporary Problems, 69(1-2), 301.
• Butterfield, F. (1996, July 14) .US has plan to broaden availability of DNA testing. New York Times.
• Carroll, G. (2007). Proven guilty: An examination of the penalty-free world of post-conviction DNA testing. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 97(2), 665.
• Duke, S. B., Lee, A. S., & Pager. C. K. (2007). A picture's worth a thousand words: Conversational versus eyewitness testimony in criminal convictions. American Criminal Law Review, 44(1), 1.

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