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Forensic DNA analysis in the identification of human remains
in mass graves
Zlatko Jakovski*, Ksenija Nikolova, Biljana Janeska, Zdravko
Cakar, Aleksandar Stankov, Verica Poposka, Goran Palvovski
and
Aleksej Duma
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Medical
Deontology, School of Medicine, “Ss. Ciril and Methodius”
University,
Str. Vodnjanska 19 Skopje 1000,
Republic of Macedonia.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail: zlatedr@yahoo.com.
Tel:
+38923177044.
Fax:
+38923 178831.
Accepted 22 January, 2010 |
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Routine
techniques
are often insufficient to address the identification of
human remains in mass graves. The major
complicating factors include delayed exhumation, commingling
of skeletal remains, lack of ante-mortem information and
attempts to conceal
evidence of criminal activity.
We have elaborated a study on
two mass graves that contained partly fragmented
commingled
remains from the ethnic conflicts that took place in 2001 in
the Republic of
Macedonia. By using DNA typing of
autosomal
and Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR)
markers and by making comparisons with samples from parents
and siblings we identified all of the victims.
Key words:
DNA, autosomal and Y-chromosomal STR, decomposed bodies. |
