Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Working through the minutiae to identify and arrest the villain, much like a game of Clue where the who, where, what, and why are needed to solve the mystery. However, instead of a fictional detective solving a fictional crime, Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, a highly recognized leader in the field of Forensic Genetic Genealogy, showed us how using DNA has become the true game-changer in crime solving.
Colleen’s presentation hooked the audience from the very beginning by walking us through the evolution of DNA research and refinement that led to its eventual use in solving violent crimes. The time scale for this progression from the first Y-DNA test kits in 2000 to its first use in helping to solve a cold case was only eleven years. With even further refinement and the use of Y-STR and autosomal SNP data allowed for further success in identifying both victims and perpetrators.
By 2018, Colleen’s team of forensic specialists were able to help solve the Buckskin Girl murder and identify the Golden State Killer. The use of forensic genetic genealogy, along with traditional investigative methodologies, is now used worldwide in police investigations with great success. The nationwide CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database is a powerful forensic tool that has collected DNA profiles from crime scenes, families of missing people, and convicted offenders.
Colleen explained that identifying an unknown individual for forensic purposes using genetic material is slightly different than how we use it in our everyday genealogical research. Although we both may focus on either Y-DNA or atDNA results to help our research in finding the correct branch to investigate, forensic research requires a much deeper understanding of the details within the genes. This is where Y-STR (Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat) which is passed directly from father to son and at-SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) the most common biological marker come into play in criminal cases.
Popular television shows like Law & Order, Major Crimes, FBI, and Cold Case – to name but a few – have evolved over the years to include forensic genealogy into their story lines. As I said in the beginning – Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? I know I do, especially when DNA evidence helps to put the perpetrator in jail.
I wonder what Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot would think about today’s methods of sleuthing.