The Great Maggot Detective/The Death Detective

Most sleuths are too squeamish to examine the tiny creatures that infest murder scenes. And that´s where Dr Mark Benecke comes in.

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A routine rape case that became tricky (and educational)

After attending this presentation, attendees will understand why it is important to listen to the victim and relatives, who do not fully understand the objective DNA evidence, but who point in a relevant direction relating to procedural failures of police and crime labs.

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The quantitative alteration of the DNA content in strangulation marks is an artefact

It is frequently difficult to prove the vitality in cases of fatal hanging. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between elevated DNA content and reduced water content of strangulation marks.

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Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat haplotypes at the loci DYS393, DYS19, DYS392, and DYS385-I/II, DYS390, DYS389-I/II, and DYS391 in a Filipino population sample

Source: J Forensic Sci (2001) 46(5): 1250–3.

Miranda JJ, Benecke M, Hidding M, Schmitt C

The article as .pdf

Population: Male population sample (n = 106) from the Metro Manila area (largest urban center in the Philippines).

Keywords: forensic science, forensic DNA typing, short tandem repeat (STR), Y chromosome, genetic fingerprint, Philippines

Whole blood samples were obtained from 106 unrelated male individuals living in Metro Manila, Philippines, through the Department of Health, Manila. DNA was extracted by isopropanol fractionation-sodium iodide precipitation (4) and quantified by spectrophotometry. Nine Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STR’s) were analyzed from a population sample of 106 unrelated males by means of a quadruplex PCR (DYS393, DYS19, DYS392, DYS385-I/II) and a triplex PCR (DYS390, DYS389-I/II, and DYS391).

Primers were Cy5-labeled, and based on sequences described by Kayser et al. (1). PCR products were separated on ReproGel™ High Resolution polyacrylamide gels, and laser-detected by an ALFexpress sequencer (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). Allelic ladders, and nomenclature were standardized against allelic ladders from P. de Knijff (Leiden), L. Roewer (Berlin), J. Edelmann (Leipzig), and P. Schneider (Mainz).

Discrimination capacity for the nine-loci system was 83%. Gene diversity was calculated following Kayser et al. (3). Frequencies of the individual alleles are shown in Table 2. Haplotype data (88 distinct haplotypes, 75 of which were unique) are given in Table 1. Gene diversity values ranged between 0.37 for DYS91 and 0.94 for DYS385, which is similar to frequences reported elsewhere (2,3).

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Rubigilda Paraguison and Edith Tria in the collection and preparation of the samples. Dr. Miranda was supported by a fellowship of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service), Federal Republic of Germany.

References

1. Kayser M, Caglia A, Corach D, Fretwell N, Gehrig C, Graziosi G, et al. Evaluation of the Y-chromosomal STRs: a multicenter study. Int J Legal Med 1997;110:125–33.

2. Pestoni C, Cal ML, Lareu MV, Rodriguez-Calvo, Carracedo A. Y chromosome STR haplotypes: genetic and sequencing data of the Galician population (NW Spain). Int J Legal Med 1998;112:15–21.

3. Rossi E, Rolf B, Schürenkamp M, Brinkmann B. Y-chromosome STR haplotypes in an Italian population sample. Int J Legal Med 1998;112: 78–81.

4. Wang L, Hirayasu K, Ishizawa M, Kobayashi Y. Purification of genomic DNA from human whole blood by isopropanol fractionation with concentrated NaI and SDS. Nucleic Acids Res 1994;22:1774 –5.

Homicide in the Ukraine

Skull & bone fragments

Post mortem damages

by ants 🐜

Insektenbefall am Leichnam

Wissensquelle der Gerichtsmedizin

Alteration of DNA content in strangulation marks

Is an artefact

Forensic DNA Lab

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Manila; Ho Chi Minh City

Warum Insekten essen keine gute Idee ist

Radio-Interview, 2023

Asian online Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database

For several years Y-chromosomal microsatellites (short tandem repeats, STRs) have been well established in forensic practice. In this context, the genetic characteristics of the Y chromosome (i.e. its paternal inheritance and lack of recombination) render STRs particularly powerful.

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Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typing of necrophageous insects (diptera, coleoptera) in criminal forensic studies: validation and use in practice

To permit quick identification of arthropods, random amplified polymorphic DNA typing (RAPD) was used to support classical morphological and medico-legal analysis of maggots on a human corpse.

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