CSI on steroids

I n January this year, the Police Department of Columbia, SC, USA, released a wanted poster for an African American man sought as a person of interest (POI) in connection with the murders of a 25-yearold woman and her 3-year-old daughter 3 years ago. It was the first wanted poster of its kind, delivered by CSI on steroids. The police used forensic DNA phenotyping— determining eye and hair colouring, freckling and genomic ancestry from a DNA sample—to produce a computer-generated image of the suspect, along with additional data. The poster and the tools used to create it provide a glimpse at a future in which genomic and genetic research are used in new ways to “identify” suspects, ironically at a time when forensic science has been facing a crisis in public confidence after a series of scandals. ...................................................... “The police used forensic DNA phenotyping [. . .] to produce a computer-generated image of the suspect, along with additional data” ......................................................