The Application of Forensic DNA Identification in Mass Disaster Investigations

Cheryl M. Lowe

March 11, 2009

Introduction

• Identification of bodies in mass disaster cases most commonly by fingerprints and dental records

• However, DNA analysis can be done as well…especially when such evidence is unavailable

• DNA techniques can be used in almost any mass disaster investigation: crashes, natural (storms), accidents (fires), wars, bombings

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Introduction

• Unfortunately most mass disasters are messy and chaotic, making identification efforts more difficult

• Learning process for society each time a large-scale mass fatality occurs• Organization and management• Speed and effectiveness of emergency

response• Ethical issues • Quality control

Mass Disasters Affect Everyone

• Important for family members to receive closure about a loved one

• Victims’ families should be quickly informed about the processes behind the identification efforts

• Budowle, et al. – there should be a positive supportive relationship with family members so that the collection of antemortem reference samples goes more smoothly

• Must inform families of any privacy issues associated with the use of DNA samples

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Relationship Between Laboratory and Victims’ Families

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/214781.pdf

Types of Mass Disasters

• Crashes: airplane, train, building collapses• High degree of body fragmentation

• Natural: hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes, floods, other storms

• Wars and bombings

http://www.rmtbristolrail.org.uk/archives/china_train_crash.jpg

Types of Mass Disasters

• “Closed” mass disasters = number and identity of victims more readily known• Airplane crashes – typically have a list

of passengers already available• “Open” mass disasters = the number and

identity of victims involved is mainly unknown• World Trade Center tragedy – final list

of victims undetermined until months after

Key Players in Mass Disaster Identification Efforts

• Medical examiners• Forensic odontologists• Fingerprint specialists• Radiologists• Experts in search and recovery of physical

evidence• Forensic anthropologists• Forensic pathologists• Forensic DNA analysts

http://www.uab.edu/images/uabmagazine/fall97/dentalID7a.jpg

Lessons Learned: 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

• Each match from the World Trade Center disaster made by the private labs verified by the medical examiner’s lab. Police then inform families in person.

• KADAP (Kinship and Data Analysis Panel) formed to assist the NYC Chief Medical Examiner’s office during the World Trade Center Tragedy

• Gonzales, et al. – KADAP recognized the complexity of the 9/11 mass disaster incident, and proposed recommendations for procedures and protocols specific to the WTC incident

• KADAP recommended that CODIS be used:• at high stringency for direct matches• at low stringency to screen for possible first-

degree relatives (parents, children, sibs)

Lessons Learned: 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

• Gonzales, et al. -- Kinship used to confirm a personal effect match should be accepted at a Probability of Relationship of 99.9% using a Prior Probability of 0.5.

• Understood that all samples cannot be successfully typed due to the conditions of the remains; KADAP recommended criteria for ending testing of individual samples

• mtDNA analysis used as a last resort; should be performed on all maternal lineage relative’s appropriate samples (e.g., buccal swabs, blood) using a suitable validated system

http://www.thecatgallery.com/images/World%20Trade%20Center.jpg

Lessons Learned: Southeast Asian Tsunami

• Alonso, et al. – more than 200,000 victims total; victims from a span of 30 countries

• Disaster victim identification (DVI) teams organized

• High levels of body fragmentation and high rate of DNA degradation

• Many of the bodies were inaccessible• Many entire families perished, making

kinship analysis efforts difficult if not impossible

The Tsunami’s Effect

http://www.chaitanyaconsult.in/chaitanya/guide/tsunamimap.gif

Lessons Learned: Southeast Asian Tsunami

Tsokos M, Lessig R, Grundmann C, Benthaus S, Peschel O. Experiences in tsunami victim identification. Int J Legal Med 120 (3) (2006) 185-187.

Tsunami

Tsokos M, Lessig R, Grundmann C, Benthaus S, Peschel O. Experiences in tsunami victim identification. Int J Legal Med 120 (3) (2006) 185-187.

Lessons Learned: Hurricane Katrina

• August 29, 2005—Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States

• Catastrophic flooding throughout the majority of the New Orleans, LA region

• Over 12,000 individuals reported missing and an estimated 1336 fatalities (Donkervoort, et al.)

• In Louisiana, medical and dental records were destroyed and the condition of human remains following prolonged water and heat exposure impaired visual identification

Lessons Learned: Hurricane Katrina

• The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals was responsible for the identification of victims

• Utilized the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory DNA Unit

• Many personal items from the victims such as toothbrushes were lost or destroyed, making the use of direct DNA identification impossible

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Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Management of Mass Disaster Investigations

• A project manager should be assigned to create a schedule, assign resources, and monitor progress

• Gonzalez, et al. – Certain aspects of DNA identification may not be understood by other groups working with the lab, so it is imperative that extensive communication occur

• Anticipate and prepare for any amount of workload and possible problems or limits to the investigation

Management of Mass Disaster Investigations

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/214781.pdf

Project Mgmt. Graph

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/214781.pdf

DMORT

• Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team

• Group of professional volunteers, usually medical students, that are responsible for helping retrieve samples from the morgue

• Developed the Victim Identification Program (VIP), software that helps to collect victim information

DMORT

http://mediccom.org/public/tadmat/photo/Walker_Co_DMORT/dmort290path.JPG

Current Challenges

• Alonso, et al. – high number of victims, body destruction, DNA degradation, often limited reference samples available

• Decreased number of PCR markers available

• Remains from fire accidents can by extremely charred and indistinguishable

• Lack of technical resources• Low success rate with STR loci

Current Challenges

Alonso A, Martin P, Albarran C, Garcia P, Fernandez de Simon L, Iturralde MJ, et al. Challenges of DNA profiling in mass disaster investigations. Croat. Med. J 46(4) (2005) 540-548.

Current Challenges

• Alonso, et al. -- recommended a procedure for reducing errors during data collection is the use of specific and standardized sample collection forms employing a unique numbering systems to identify each remain in conjunction with the use of

• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) = ensure sample information logging on a centralized database

Data Sorting

• Budowle, et al. – Software used in the investigation must:• organize, store, and retrieve diverse

and different data• integrate different software systems• allow technical and administrative

review of data• allow for annotation and recording of

problems and resolutions• track samples among partner

laboratories• prioritize sample selection and review

Data Sorting

• In addition, the software should also be able to:• generate family pedigrees and calculate

likelihood ratios for hypothesized kinships

• combine remains with the same profile to facilitate searching

• enable profile comparisons and statistical calculations

• be user friendly

M-FISys

• Mass-Fatality Identification System• Developed in response to WTC tragedy by

Gene Codes Corporation• Able to make sense of huge quantities of

data and to assist in the task of victim identification

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/1894000/1894089.widec.jpg

Kinship Analysis

• Mass disasters usually have a high number of pairwise comparisons, ranging from 1,000s to millions

• Software developed to:• Collapse profiles from remains• Build overlapping partial profiles• Calculate likelihood ratios (LR) for each

pairwise comparison at various relationships

Kinship Analysis

Alonso A, Martin P, Albarran C, Garcia P, Fernandez de Simon L, Iturralde MJ, et al. Challenges of DNA profiling in mass disaster investigations. Croat. Med. J 46(4) (2005) 540-548.

Future Mass Disaster Investigations

• As mass fatalities are unexpected and unpredictable, it is important to properly plan and learn from past experiences

• Requires guidelines, training, preparation, and proper execution in order to be conducted efficiently

• Alonso, et al. -- reduce errors during data collection by using specific, standardized sample collection forms with unique numbering systems to identify each remain

• Multiplex PCR amplification preferred• Automation, robotic systems are helping to

decrease costs and turnaround time

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