Forensic DNA analysis in the identification of human remains in mass graves

Abstract

Routine techniques are often insufficient to address the identification of human remains in mass graves. The major complicating factors include delayed exhumation, commingling of skeletal remains, lack of ante-mortem information and attempts to conceal evidence of criminal activity. We have elaborated a study on two mass graves that contained partly fragmented commingled remains from the ethnic conflicts that took place in 2001 in the Republic of Macedonia. By using DNA typing of autosomal and Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) markers and by making comparisons with samples from parents and siblings we identified all of the victims.