Confirmation of the Identity of Human Skeletal Remains Using Multiplex PCR Amplification and Typing Kits

• NCJ Number: 156775
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 40 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1995) Pages: 701-705
• Author(s): M N Hochmeister; B Budowle; U V Borer; O Rudin; M Bohnert; R Dirnhofer
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The identity of human skeletal remains found in a wooded area approximately 1 year after the person was reported missing was provisionally established by routine methods and circumstantial evidence.

Abstract

Multiplex PCR systems -- the AmpliType PM PCR Amplification and Typing Kit and the GenePrint STR Triplex Amplification and Typing Kit -- were used to confirm the identification. DNA profiles from femur bone from the remains were compared with profiles derived from head hairs from a hairbrush recovered in the missing woman's apartment. In addition, a sex-typing procedure using the X-Y homologous gene amelogenin was conducted. This is the first report of a case that used commercially available multiplex PCR amplification and typing kits to confirm the identity of skeletal remains. The two multiplex PCR amplification and typing kits used in this case enabled the investigators to amplify specific regions of nine genetic loci, thus providing a powerful tool for forensic-identity testing. Further, this PCR-based analysis is relatively simple and can be implemented into most application-oriented laboratories. 1 table, 2 figures, and 32 references