In this interview, we meet Ray Wickenheiser, Director of the New York State Police Crime Laboratory System.
He and Travis discuss the benefits of being able to return to in-person conferences, such as collaboration and energizing the analysts, and the shared experiences held by members of the forensic science field.
They also talk about the rewards that come with being a DNA analyst and why those in the field enjoy it so much.
Finally, Ray discusses the presentation he gave at ISHI 33. DNA databases have been very effective at developing investigative leads, providing new suspects for unsolved forensic cases. To date, the majority of forensic laboratories utilize DNA databases with direct matching, where forensic profiles found at crime scenes are compared to profiles from known individuals and must match exactly. Expanding the size of a law enforcement DNA database can be accomplished by increasing the number and type of qualifying offenses and by including arrestees.
Indirect matching is a strategy to expand the size of a DNA database scientifically, by utilizing the known sharing of DNA between biologically related individuals. Currently used techniques include Partial Matching, Familial Searching and Investigative or Forensic Genetic Genealogy (IGG or FGG). Each of these techniques include indirectly matching the forensic profile to individuals that have not committed the instant crime, but rather are potentially biologically related to the perpetrator. Indirectly matching candidates are further examined through kinship analysis. Through building of family trees and comparison of family members to particulars of the crime, suspects are developed for direct comparison to the forensic sample.
Potential search keys include Y-STRs (Short Tandem Repeats), X-STRs, mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA), and SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms). Expanded DNA profiles permit the development of additional profiles through analysis of these particular DNA regions, or via extraction from a WGS (Whole Genome Sequence) profile.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS? SUBSCRIBE TO THE ISHI BLOG BELOW!
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
