U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

DNA FINGERPRINTING FROM TISSUES AFTER VARIABLE POSTMORTEM PERIODS

NCJ Number
142996
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1993) Pages: 686-690
Author(s)
B Ludes; H Pfitzinger; P Mangin
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
For DNA fingerprinting to be used successfully in identifying human remains after various postmortem periods of time, high molecular weight DNA (HMWDNA) must be extracted from the body's tissue samples.
Abstract
Tissue samples were collected from skeletal muscle, heart, blood, lymph nodes, spleen, kidney, liver, and brain, extracted during forensic autopsies from 24 bodies of known postmortem ages ranging from one day to one month. The results showed that tissues which degrade quickly, including blood and kidney, were unsuitable for DNA fingerprinting. However, HMWDNA could be extracted successfully from the brain cortex regardless of postmortem age (at least up to 85 days). 1 table and 7 references

Downloads

No download available

Availability