With Christmas approaching, many people may be considering giving as a gift a DNA ancestry kit for family DNA profiling. These are interesting ways of undertaking research into your family history and finding out the background of where your ancestors might have come from.
This is often used in association with various websites, where the results of the DNA testing can be uploaded to help trace other family members and complete missing links in the family tree.
Crime Scenes & Fake Profiles
However, this is not the only development in DNA science. In April of 2018 police in the United States managed to make an arrest in relation to a series of murders that were committed in California during the 1970s and 1980s. The Police in California used a sample from one of the crime scenes and using a fake profile uploaded the DNA result to an open-access genealogy website. This led them to the lead they needed.
Familial DNA profiling
This process requires the use of complex and sophisticated DNA testing and profiling, known as familial DNA profiling or family DNA profiling.
Family DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual’s DNA characteristics, which are as unique as fingerprints. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding.
DNA profilings are a forensic technique in criminal investigations, comparing criminal suspects’ profiles to DNA evidence so as to assess the likelihood of their involvement in the crime. It is also used in parentage testing, to establish immigration eligibility, and in genealogical and medical research. DNA profiling has also been used in the study of animal and plant populations in the fields of zoology, botany, and agriculture. (see Wikipedia for more information)
The case in the USA is not the only one that has used these processes. In 2002 in the UK Police re-examined the evidence from a murder committed in South Wales in 1988, and using the family DNA profiling process they were able to identify the killer. The widespread availability of genealogy websites allows the police to search for a wider database for matches. In September 2018 it was announced that familial DNA profiling has been introduced in Australia by the National Criminal Investigation DNA Database.
So if you upload your DNA test results in searching for links in your family tree, you may help the Police to find out more than you had ever expected.
For more information, please contact your local Brisbane Lawyer at Aylward Game Solicitors on 1800 217 217 or book an appointment on our website.
Article Source: FAMILY DNA PROFILING: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
