Mind the Gap: How Reference Samples Impact Skeletal Age Estimation in Forensic Casework

Direct qPCR quantification of unprocessed forensic casework samples.

The current short tandem repeat (STR) typing workflow for forensic casework samples involves sample collection, sample screening, DNA extraction, DNA qPCR quantification and STR amplification. Although very effective and powerful, this workflow still has room for improvements. For example, the screening assays in practice do not provide DNA related information and also do not work with touch DN...

Age Estimation of Fetal Skeletal Remains from the Forensic Context

Forensic anthropology casework-essential methodological considerations in stature estimation.

The examination of skeletal remains is a challenge to the medical examiner's/coroner's office and the forensic anthropologist conducting the investigation. One of the objectives of the medico-legal investigation is to estimate stature or height from various skeletal remains and body parts brought for examination. Various skeletal remains and body parts bear a positive and linear correlation wit...

A unifying framework for the modelling and analysis of STR DNA samples arising in forensic casework

This paper presents a new framework for analysing forensic DNA samples using probabilistic genotyping. Specifically it presents a mathematical framework for specifying and combining the steps in producing forensic casework electropherograms of short tandem repeat loci from DNA samples. It is applicable to both high and low template DNA samples, that is, samples containing either high or low amo...

Workstation and the DNA IQ TM System to the Extraction of Forensic Casework Samples ∗

Robotic systems are commonly utilized for the extraction of database samples. However, the application of robotic extraction to forensic casework samples is a more daunting task. Such a system must be versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of samples that may contain greatly varying amounts of DNA, but it must also pose no more risk of contamination than the manual DNA extraction methods....