Abstract
When no suspects are identified in a forensic case as the donor of a biological trace, familial searching through the Y-chromosome can be used as an identification method to find paternally related males of the perpetrator. When a close Y-haplotype match is identified, the time to their most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) can be estimated to reconstruct their genealogy. To date, three online tMRCA calculators (McDonald, Walker and McGee) exist based on the infinite alleles model (IAM), but were not yet validated. In this study, the calculators were investigated using our genetic-genealogy database containing 1126 genealogical pairs with known tMRCA, in which 42 Y-STR markers were analyzed. We observed that the McGee calculator is very discordant with our dataset, while the others give quite similar results. Overall, the tMRCAs from our genealogical pairs are located within the 95% CI, but are slightly underestimated for pairs with a close Y-haplotype match, and overestimated when more Y-STR differences are present. Additionally, their large 95% CI are not appropriate for genealogy reconstruction for forensic purposes. To further improve tMRCA estimations, individual Y-STR mutation rates and allele calls should be included to take hidden Y-STR differences into account.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
