The remains were poorly preserved, presumably due to wet and slightly acidic soil conditions. Insufficient DNA for analysis was obtained from two bone samples; however, two of four teeth and two hairs recovered in 1978 from the original burial site on the James Farm did yield reproducible mtDNA sequences. The mtDNA sequences from the teeth and hairs were all identical, suggesting that they came from the same individual; furthermore, this mtDNA sequence was identical to mtDNA sequences determined from blood samples from two maternal relatives of Jesse James; therefore, either the remains are indeed those of Jesse James, or they are from an unrelated individual who, by chance, happens to have the same mtDNA sequences. To assess the probability that an unrelated individual would have the same sequences, the researchers searched the forensic mtDNA database and found that this sequences does not appear among the 2,426 mtDNA sequences therein. Hence, the mtDNA analysis supports the identification of the exhumed remains from Mt. Olivet Cemetery as those of Jesse James. 1 table, 2 figures, and 14 references