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Analyses of Second World War Skeletal Remains Using a Forensic Approach

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Forensic DNA Typing: Principles, Applications and Advancements

Abstract

This chapter presents analyses of skeletal remains from World War II using a forensic approach. Aged bones are challenging samples of biological material for DNA typing because their DNA content is very low and greatly degraded. The exceptional risk of contamination and the presence of inhibitors further limit the success of DNA typing. Because the DNA content is so limited, aged skeletons are exposed to contamination by people involved in excavation, anthropological analyses, and genetic testing. To prevent and track potential contamination by contemporary DNA, a number of standard precautions are used and they are described. The composition of bones and teeth and their degradation process is discussed. In addition to morphological structure, special attention is paid to factors affecting the preservation of DNA in old bones and teeth. Based on the literature reviewed and some analyses performed, the chapter summarizes which skeletal elements are most suitable for investigating World War II skeletal remains. It discusses how to clean and grind bone and tooth samples, how DNA can be extracted from the powder obtained, and how DNA quality and quantity can be determined for extracts using real-time quantification. The genetic markers most frequently examined in aged DNA and the advantages of new, high-performing sequencing techniques for the development and study of aged DNA are described. Using innovative methods that may help in retrieving higher-quality and increased data makes it possible to investigate more degraded DNA. Storing samples is especially important in laboratories engaged in forensic genetics. Efficient long-term bone storage is necessary to guarantee sample stability across time so that new markers as well as new technologies can be used for future retesting. The results of some aged bone sample storage studies are presented. The chapter concludes with a presentation of World War II victim identifications performed in Slovenia.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks the Slovenian Government Commission on Concealed Mass Graves for its support for excavations involving World War II victims. Some of the studies described in this chapter received financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (the project “Determination of the most appropriate skeletal elements for molecular genetic identification of aged human remains,” J3-8214).

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  1. Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Irena Zupanič Pajnič

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  1. Irena Zupanič Pajnič
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Correspondence to Irena Zupanič Pajnič .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. DNA Fingerprinting Unit, Department of Home (Police), State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Pankaj Shrivastava

  2. DNA Fingerprinting Unit, Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Hirak Ranjan Dash

  3. Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Granada, Spain

    Jose A. Lorente

  4. DNA Fingerprinting Unit, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

    Jahangir Imam

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Zupanič Pajnič, I. (2020). Analyses of Second World War Skeletal Remains Using a Forensic Approach. In: Shrivastava, P., Dash, H.R., Lorente, J.A., Imam, J. (eds) Forensic DNA Typing: Principles, Applications and Advancements . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6655-4_8

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