A Case Study on Murder Mystery Solved by DNA Typing

Abstract

DNA evidence plays the role of a powerful tool in linking a suspect to the crime. DNA typing in forensics is used for identification and paternity and immigration cases. It helps not only in identifying the culprit but also in exonerating the innocent. DNA typing and its continuous advances in forensic science and genetics have made these techniques almost foolproof to be applied in various complex cases. Here, we will discuss a murder case where a newlywed woman killed her husband on the first night but concealed it as death due to snake bite. Injection syringes used by her for injection of drugs were recovered from the backyard. The injection syringes contained a speck of dried blood, which came out to be a good source of DNA evidence. DNA was extracted from the dried blood, quantified, amplified, and sequenced on automated DNA sequencer. The short tandem repeat (STR) profile generated matched with the profiles of parents of the deceased at 21 autosomal STR loci and additionally 3 gender loci. DNA typing could confirm the alleged murder of the deceased by the newly wed woman and her accomplice by administration of drugs leading to cardiac arrest.