DNA testing
DNA can play an important role in identifying remains in unmarked graves. Unfortunately, there are regions of the world that have suffered severely under the hands of ruthless dictators who do not value human life. Mass graves are often the tragic trademark of such tyrants. The former Yugoslavia contains an estimated 40,000 unidentified bodies in mass graves. The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) was created in 1996 to help with identifying human remains in these mass graves. In effect, the ICMP is using DNA technology to map human genocide. One of the major challenges for performing DNA identification from mass graves is obtaining biological reference samples from relatives. Family outreach centers take information and blood samples from living relatives such as parents or a spouse and a child of a missing loved one. These reference samples are then typed with STRs and mitochondrial DNA sequencing to provide points of comparison to results obtained from the remains in mass graves. MitochondrialDNA often is the only source of successful DNA recovery from bones that have been in the ground for many years although improved DNA extraction methods have enabled successful STR typing results to be obtained in many cases. DNA often provides the only way to confirm the death of a missing person, enable return of the remains to a living relative, and help bring justice to the criminals who initiated the massacres that led to the mass grave sites
DNA testing