NCJ Number
233770
Journal
Identification Canada Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 37-84
Date Published
June 2006
Length
48 pages
Annotation
This issue's three articles presented in English only or both English and French provide an overview of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in relation to shed hair at a crime scene; examine whether phloxine B dye development can determine the age of a fingerprint; and present a court case in Canada that involved the first presentation of evidence derived from mtDNA testing.
Abstract
The article on mtDNA derived from hair advises that a combination of microscopic examinations and mtDNA tests makes hair/hair shaft evidence more probative than in the past. Although mtDNA has less statistical discriminatory power than nuclear DNA (nDNA), mtDNA may be the only choice when nDNA typing fails, is not possible, or samples from maternal relatives are required. The second article addresses whether or not a solution of phloxine B dye can be used to determine the "freshness" or relative age of a fingerprint. The study found that the overall results for latent fingerprints developed with phloxine B dye were not impressive and could not be used to determine the age of the prints with any reliability. The developed impressions, even those of the same age on the same substrate, varied in appearance and clarity of detail. Determination of the age of the fingerprints based only on whether the impressions did or did not develop or the level of clarity of developed impressions would be mere speculation. The third article reviews the court's ruling in R v. Murrin (1999), in which the court held that although mtDNA is not a "genetic fingerprint" like nDNA, mtDNA evidence is admissible when it meets a threshold level of reliability and the limitations of the science are made clear to the trier of fact.