Identification Of Missing Persons Research Articles

La Genética y Genómica Forense en el Perú: Situación actual y desafíos futuros

Forensic Genetics is defined as a field of knowledge that uses both genetic concepts and molecular tools. This is used to resolve cases in which it is desired to identify the identity of people allegedly involved in a criminal act, kinship ties, identification of missing persons, etc. Currently, Forensic Genetics mainly uses molecular markers of the type STRs (short tandem repeats), SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and insertion/deletion INDELs)(1). In order to use these markers, it generally begins with DNA extraction, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction, capillary electrophoresis and analysis with specialized software to obtain a genetic profile that is unique for each individual.

A Survey of Integrating Deep Learning-Based Missing Person Detection Model into CCTV Systems for Enhanced Identification

This study looks at the possibility of increasing identification abilities in closed-circuit video (CCTV) systems using a deep learning-based missing person detection model. Missing individuals are becoming increasingly common, necessitating the development of novel search tactics. This study uses deep learning to augment traditional CCTV systems by using an improved model that can reliably identify and track persons who go missing. Taking a detailed look at current techniques to missing person identification, the literature review shows the shortcomings of existing systems and the potential for improving them through the use of deep learning. The paper examines past methodologies, including facial recognition accuracy, tracking robustness, and system scalability.The integration of computer vision with missing person identification, object tracking technologies, and facial recognition algorithms are among the main topics. The research also investigates privacy, moral, and legal implications of deploying such technology in public.

Managing large volume data sets in the process of identifying missing persons: Contributions from the International Commission on Missing Persons.

The process of locating and identifying missing persons presents a complex challenge that hinges on the collection and comparison of diverse data sets. This commentary offers an overview of some of the difficulties and considerations associated with data management in the context of large-scale missing person identifications. Such complexities include the uniqueness of each disaster event, the response time to the event, the variable quality and quantity of data, and the involvement of numerous stakeholders, all of which contribute to the intricacies of data management. In addition, the paramount considerations of privacy and ethical standards further compound these challenges, especially when dealing with sensitive information such as genetic data. This commentary describes the integrated Data Management System (iDMS) developed by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) as one example of a comprehensive, freely available solution for data collection, storage, protection, and analysis in missing person cases. The various advantages of the system are discussed, including the system's interoperability among the diverse array of stakeholders involved. While the iDMS streamlines data management processes and therefore represents a significant advancement in the field of missing person identification, it is concluded that the pending issue extends beyond thesoftware tools to encompass the lack of political will among stakeholders to collaborate there remains a pressing need for all stakeholders involved in the identification process to commit to a mechanism that facilitates compatibility and interoperability if different tools are used in disaster victim identification (DVI) scenarios.

Easykin: a flexible and user-friendly online tool for forensic kinship testing and missing person identification.

In forensic kinship testing and missing person identification, it is a fundamental question to choose the most informative reference relatives, select appropriate genotyping systems, and evaluate the weight of evidence comprehensively. Despite that several useful tools have been developed, they have not addressed these questions satisfactorily. In this paper, we develop a flexible and user-friendly online tool, Easykin, to address the aforementioned issues. It has some promising features: (i) Pedigrees can be constructed easily and presented intuitively with just a few mouse clicks. (ii) System power can be estimated before testing based on certain set of markers and reference relatives. (iii) The pruning function of EasyKin enables users to choose appropriate subsets of available references. (iv) Parameters at a specific LR for a single case may ease evidence interpretation. (v) The user interface (UI) is an HTML-based dashboard, which is friendly to both professional and non-professional users and can be used anytime and anywhere. Here, we presented three common cases as examples to demonstrate how kinship testing and missing person identification can be improved with EasyKin. In conclusion, this tool provides a one-stop solution for forensic use, that is, instructing users to choose appropriate kits and reference relatives before testing, calculating LR in the testing, and providing parameters for data interpretation after testing. EasyKin is freely available at https://forensicsysu.shinyapps.io/EasyKin/ .

Application of SNPs with low minor allele frequencies in missing person identification (MPI) through kinship analysis of DNA mixtures.

The need to identify a missing person (MP) through kinship analysis of DNA samples found at a crime scene has become increasingly prevalent. DNA samples from MPs can be severely degraded, contain little DNA and mixed with other contributors, which often makes it difficult to apply conventional methods in practice. This study developed a massively parallel sequencing-based panel that contains 1661 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with low minor allele frequencies (MAFs) (averaged at 0.0613) in the Chinese Han population, and the strategy for relationship inference from DNA mixtures comprising different numbers of contributors (NOCs) and of varying allele dropout probabilities. Based on the simulated dataset and genotyping results of 42 artificial DNA mixtures (NOC=2-4), it was observed that the present SNP panel was sufficient for balanced mixtures when referenced to the closest relatives (parents/offspring and full siblings). When the mixture profiles suffered from dropout, incorrect assignments were markedly associated with relatedness, NOC and the dropout level. We, therefore, indicate that SNPs with low MAFs could be reliably interpreted for MP identification through the kinship analysis of complex DNA mixtures. Further studies should be extended to more possible scenarios to test the feasibility of this present approach.

A Multisample Approach in Forensic Phenotyping of Chronological Old Skeletal Remains Using Massive Parallel Sequencing (MPS) Technology.

It is very important to generate phenotypic results that are reliable when processing chronological old skeletal remains for cases involving the identification of missing persons. To improve the success of pigmentation prediction in Second World War victims, three bones from each of the eight skeletons analyzed were included in the study, which makes it possible to generate a consensus profile. The PowerQuant System was used for quantification, the ESI 17 Fast System was used for STR typing, and a customized version of the HIrisPlex panel was used for PCR-MPS. The HID Ion Chef Instrument was used for library preparation and templating. Sequencing was performed with the Ion GeneStudio S5 System. Identical full profiles and identical hair and eye color predictions were achieved from three bones analyzed per skeleton. Blue eye color was predicted in five skeletons and brown in three skeletons. Blond hair color was predicted in one skeleton, blond to dark blond in three skeletons, brown to dark brown in two skeletons, and dark brown to black in two skeletons. The reproducibility and reliability of the results proved the multisample analysis method to be beneficial for phenotyping chronological old skeletons because differences in DNA yields in different bone types provide a greater possibility of obtaining a better-quality consensus profile.

Use of social networking sites and applications in identification of missing and unidentified persons: A robust forensic tool

Social media is an invaluable tool when seeking information or evidence in criminal cases or in finding missing persons. Social media encompasses vast amount of information such as videos, photos, texts posted by criminals, witnesses and/or victims itself. Social media forensics helps recuperation of electronic evidence from social networking sites which often plays a crucial role in the conviction of a suspect. However, there barely exist any applications which can aid in identifying a deceased person.For identification of deceased, forensic odontologists search for antemortem data such as dental casts, X-ray images, portrait pictures showing the anterior teeth etc., for comparison with the post-mortem data. Archetypal features such as tooth rotations, diastemas, missing teeth, supernumerary teeth, crowded teeth, recognizable removable/fixed prostheses and other attributes could be present in the missing person’s profile and can be crosschecked during the autopsy of the unidentified corpse. For this reason, smile photos represent one of the most common sources of dental information, especially when no technical antemortem dental data is available. To date, there is only one forensic application for smartphones which helps in storage of antemortem smile photo of individuals. Storing the antemortem data that is easily accessible from the social media network aids as an important forensic tool especially in natural disasters or terrorist attacks where human identification process can be arduous.

Alternative Workflows for Transnational Missing Persons Identifications

Alternative Workflows for Transnational Missing Persons Identifications

Public and family support and concerns for providing DNA to law enforcement in long-term missing person cases

The identification of long-term missing persons and unidentified human remains is a global challenge. Many people stay on missing persons registers, with unidentified human remains stored for extended periods in mortuaries around the world. Research exploring public and/or family support for providing DNA in long-term missing persons cases is scarce. The aims of this study were to examine whether trust in police predicted the level of support for providing DNA and explore public/family support and concerns for providing DNA in such cases. Trust in police was measured through two widely used empirical attitude scales; “The Measures of Police Legitimacy and Procedural Justice”. Support and concerns for giving DNA were measured through four hypothetical missing persons case scenarios. The results showed more positive attitudes towards police legitimacy and procedural justice significantly predicted support, with the percentage level of positive support across the four case types as follows: cases involving a long-term missing child (89%), elderly adult with dementia (83%), young adult with a history of runaway (76%), with the lowest level of support for an adult with an estranged family (73%). Participants also reported more concerns about providing DNA when the missing person circumstances involved family estrangement. Understanding levels of public/family support and concerns around providing DNA to police in missing persons cases is vital to ensure that DNA collection practices reflect what the public/family support and, wherever possible, alleviate public concerns.

Legal regulation registration of human genomic information: international and domestic experience

The article analyzes the main regulatory and legal documents that regulate the issue of legal regulation of the state registration of human genomic information in Ukraine. It has been established that the functioning of the database of human genomic information in Ukraine is currently regulated by the Instruction on the Organization of the Operation of Forensic Records of the Expert Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine dated September 10, 2009 No. 390. However, the sources of the formation of records of genetic characteristics defined by this Instruction do not provide an opportunity to effectively use the tool of the database data for the identification of missing persons, etc., since it is possible to ensure the effectiveness of the method of molecular genetic research only in combination with the maintenance of an automated DNA database.
 The relevance of the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On State Registration of Human Genomic Information" is substantiated, which defines the legal principles of processing and state registration of human genomic information in Ukraine. Its main purpose and specifics of application are clarified, and the problems in terms of legal uncertainty regarding its compliance with international standards of human rights compliance are identified. The issues related to the technical protection of the Electronic Register of Information on Human Genetic Traits, which is a functional subsystem of the unified information system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are outlined, and suggestions for improving this area are provided. Attention is focused on the relevance of international cooperation regarding the exchange of genomic information with other countries and international organizations.
 The role of the International Committee of the Red Cross was clarified, the statistics of identification of missing persons by this organization were analyzed. Attention was drawn to the role of the International Commission on Missing Persons, which has considerable experience in this field. Analyzed: positive international experience of registering human genomic information of Great Britain, USA, Thailand, Brazil; The Prüm Treaty on providing Member States of the European Union with automatic access to genetic databases, fingerprints and information on crimes related to drug trafficking.
 It was concluded that the realities of the times necessitate the introduction and use of advanced technologies that have existed in the field of human genomic identification for more than three decades - DNA molecular genetic research and a data bank of human genetic features, which will contribute to the prompt solution of socially significant tasks.

Enzyme Immunoassay for the Detection of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) and Placental MRNA Marker a Practical Technique for Forensic Pregnancy Identification in Bloodstains

Introduction: The diagnosis of pregnancy from forensic bloodstains can be useful in cases of infanticide, criminal abortions and missing person identification. Objective: This research illustrated the use of a rapid, precise, and tremendously responsive enzyme immunoassay kit designed for medical usage, which is put to good use in our lab for qualitative HCG detection in blood stains and has proven to be a useful tool in forensic pregnancy identification. Methods: HCG concentrations had previously been generally known, and total eighty whole blood samples were taken: forty expectant females (every single one between months one to six of pregnancy), twenty healthy young males, and twenty postmenopausal females with good health ration has been cleared in all data. Results: Enzyme immunoassay is a useful forensic technique for detecting human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in pregnant women. In the forty sample batch that was dated for six months, 37 samples (92.5%) yielded positive results, 38 of which (95%) yielded good outcomes in the qualitative analysis, most of them within the sensitivities boundary. The samples that were diluted to 1/100 and 1/200 and kept at room temperature for one week and six months period, respectively, produced just two (5.0%) and five (12.5%) successful results and the samples showed negative results when diluted to 1/200 and stored for six months. Practical implication This paper reports on human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) detection in bloodstains based on enzyme immunoassay. Conclusion: Enzyme immunoassay has proven to be a suitable method intended for detecting an hCG hormone in blood stains, allowing for the qualitative assessment of hCG, and making it particularly interesting for use in forensic science applications. Keywords: Enzyme immunoassay, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), pregnancy, bloodstain

Application of a dense SNP PCR multiplex for high throughput kinship determination using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

The need to identify large numbers of missing persons from mass disasters, armed conflicts and human rights abuses has become increasingly prevalent. The ForenSeq® Kintelligence Library Prep Kit together with NGS (sometimes called massively parallel sequencing), has been designed to interrogate 10,230 SNPs for the purpose of solving cold cases, including missing persons identification. The kit allows up to 3 samples per sequencing run in order to call sufficient SNPs for detecting relationships up to 5th degree when searching direct to consumer DNA databases, such as GEDmatch PRO™. For missing persons cases with high numbers of post-mortem (P.M.) and ante-mortem (A.M.) samples from the deceased and their family members, respectively, a higher throughput solution is required. In this report, we present the feasibility of increasing sequencing plexity for PM to 12 and AM to 32 samples using the Kintelligence kit and workflow. This generates sufficient SNP calls for kinship determination up to 3rd order. DNA was extracted from bones and dental remains, as well as artificially degraded and low input DNA to simulate P.M. samples. DNA from diverse populations was typed to simulate A.M. samples. We determined the number of called SNPs overlapping between A.M. and P.M samples from these high-plexity sequencing runs and showed the impact on two methods of estimating kinship: kinship coefficients and likelihood ratios (LR). LR and kinship coefficient decrease as fewer SNPs are called (i.e., in more challenging samples) or for more distant relationships. However, filtering on both values achieved high sensitivity and specificity out to 3rd degree. Furthermore, relationship identification out to 3rd degree was robust to loss of heterozygosity in the samples. Overall, increasing plexity can facilitate higher throughput DNA analysis of missing persons cases, without severe loss in kinship estimation.

Empirical validation of a family-member prioritization approach to maximize statistical power in missing person cases

In order to prioritize the exhumation of the most informative reference relatives to increase the statistical power of a reference group, a conditional simulation approach for missing person identification that combines both exclusion and inclusion power in reference families has been previously developed. The aim of this study is to empirically validate this approach by comparing its predicted theoretical prioritization model with the observed changes in statistical power in real cases of our laboratory, in which new relatives had already been added. We conclude that this approach is a reliable tool to choose the most appropriate reference relatives to complete a family group and improve the identification power of a Missing Person (MP).

Bayesian networks for DNA-based kinship analysis: Functionality and validation of the GENis missing person identification module

GENis is a recently published open-source multi-tier information system developed to run forensic DNA databases. It relies on a Bayesian Networks framework and it is particularly well suited to efficiently perform large-size queries against databases of missing individuals. In this contribution we present a validation of the missing person identification capabilities of GENis. To that end we introduce fbnet, a free-software package written in the R statistical language that implements the complete GENis functionality to perform kinship analysis based on DNA profiles. With the aid of fbnet, we could validate likelihood ratios against estimations draw with Familias and forrel (two well-recognized R packages for kinship quantification) for complex pedigrees provided by the Argentinian reference databank (Banco Nacional de Datos Geneticos, BNDG). We found that our methodological approach presented an excellent performance in terms of accuracy and computation times.

Assessing the utility of quantitative and qualitative metrics in the DNA quantification process of skeletal remains for autosomal and Y-chromosome STR amplification purposes

In historical cases, ancient DNA investigations and missing persons identification, teeth or bone samples are often the only and almost always the best biological material available for DNA typing. On the other hand, DNA obtained from bone material may be characterized by a high degradation index (DI) or its low content, or DNA tests cannot be repeated due to bone piece size limitation. That is often the effect of the environment in which the material was placed and the time during which exposure to unfavorable environmental factors took place. Therefore, it is very important to use appropriate procedures related to STR analysis. For our study, we selected 80 challenging bone samples. The amount of DNA was compared in qPCR using Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification Kit and Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro RGQ. All qPCR results were confirmed by PCR-CE. The results of DNA concentrations and the assigned degradation index (DI) differed significantly within analyzed samples (~10%). Additionally, the Y-chromosome DI also differed from the autosomal DI in the samples. The difference in degradation indexes could explain the lower Y-chromosome amplification success rate compared to autosomal e.g. during human identification process. The results indicate that performing two DNA quantifications with the use of two different kits (primers sets) allows for a much more precise evaluation of the DNA quality and quantity in the isolate. We suggest that at least one of two suggested DNA concentration measurements should be based on an additional determination of the Y chromosome degradation index. Altogether, it allows for rational isolate management, especially when the volume is limited and the sample is unique.

Missing Person Identification System

One main objective of the project is to develop a missing youngster (people) realize application that may be useful for the folk whose beloved ones are kidnapped lost, or saved by the folks. In this Finding Missing folk's exploitation website we offer person with entire information base of the missing youngsters, in order that the police will track regarding the whereabouts or file a case relating the difficulty. And the youngsters found (known or unknown) details are uploaded by the police or by AN appointed agent. Entering details of the kids like height, age, etc. could be a protracted method and also the search output. Being out of touch with a loved one is concerning and not hearing from someone you care about is terrifying. Several cases of missing people have been reported for many years, where most of the searches turn out unsuccessful. In order to quickly reunite families and friends with their missing loved ones, a solution for effectively searching for the missing people is presented. Persons more easily and quickly. Missing person identification and tracking for intelligent video surveillance systems. Due to some reason the people leave the home or some child or old man’s forget the route of home to this missing case entry is updated in police station by using CCTV camera technology compare the each person with the available database and find these people. To improve this system concept system is designed. In this system designed to find the missing people. If the missing person found in the CCTV Video streaming then track the location of missing person. After missing person found in the CCTV Video streaming then send location SMS to relatives of missing person and Police station. So our system can perform the very important role in security and authentication issues. The user performs the main role in the system. Firstly he can register in the system, after the registration he can login to the system. User also adds the missing person details in the system. If missing person found in video then user can send SMS to the police station and also to person’s relatives. Here the admin perform the all administrative role in this system. Admin can add the user, remove the user etc. After getting the user’s result admin can view those details.

Identification of missing persons through kinship analysis by microhaplotype sequencing of single-source DNA and two-person DNA mixtures

In forensic applications, there is an increasing demand for the analysis of DNA profiles arising from missing person identification (MPI) cases. A specific DNA profile may originate from a single source or more than one contributor (i.e., a DNA mixture). When direct references are not available, indirect relative references can be used to identify missing persons by kinship analysis. As a novel kind of multiallelic marker, microhaplotypes have proven promising for relatedness determination and mixture deconvolution. Herein, we developed a large panel of 185 microhaplotype markers and demonstrated its application in different scenarios of relationship inference through a simulation study and real pedigree analysis, combined with probabilistic genotyping models for data interpretation. Based on single-source profiles, it was shown that the present microhaplotype panel was sufficient for pairwise close relative testing (parent/child, full-sibling and 2nd-degree relative). For more distant relatives (3rd-degree relatives), there was a clear improvement when data from one well-chosen extra relative were available. We further sought to evaluate the theoretical systematic effectiveness and actual performance of microhaplotype markers in identifying the contribution of a missing pedigree member to a two-person mixture (as a minor donor). It was observed that 100% correct assignments were made in the balanced mixtures (with no dropout) when referenced to close relatives. When the mixture profiles suffered from dropout, incorrect assignments of minor donors were markedly associated with relatedness and the dropout level. Meanwhile, the studied scenarios generally exhibited zero or very low false-positive rates, indicating a low probability of incorrectly assigning an unrelated contributor as a close relative of the reference. Our results indicate that microhaplotype data can be reliably interpreted for identifying missing persons through kinship analysis based on DNA profiles of single-source samples or two-person mixtures. Furthermore, this study could be extended to more complex scenarios, such as determining the relatedness of contributors in (or among) mixed DNA profiles, if combined with different statistical frameworks.

Correlation of cephalo-facial parameters with body height in indian and african students of a university in North India

Introduction: In forensic anthropology, body height or stature estimation is important for identification of missing persons. Stature has a proportional relationship with different parts of the human body including cephalo-facial region. The cephalo-facial indices are different for different people. Therefore, they may help in stature reconstruction and identification of a person. The study was conducted to find out if there is any correlation between four cephalo-facial parameters and body height and to derive regression formulae in Indian and African students. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted on 170 students of a University in North India belonging to two different races, i.e., Indian (85) and African (85). Stature and four cephalo-facial dimensions, i.e., maximum head length (MHL), horizontal head circumference (HHC), morphological facial length (MFL) and bigonial diameter (BD) were measured. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 15. Results: In both Indian and African students all the four cephalo-facial parameters, i.e., MHL, HHC, MFL, and BD showed a positive correlation with stature (P < 0.001). It was found that in Indians the strongest correlation of stature was with MHL and least correlation was with HHC. In Africans, the highest correlation was observed with MHL and lowest with BD. Discussion and Conclusion: In this study, it was found that among the cephalo-facial parameters, cephalic parameters are more reliable than facial parameters. Out of the two cephalic parameters HHC was found to be more reliable than MHL in the estimation of stature in both Indian and African students. The regression equations derived turned out to be population/race-specific and therefore, cannot be generalized for all population groups.

Efficacy of a novel bone preprocessing method for better DNA yield

In cases involving identification of missing persons, mass disasters and ancient DNA investigations, bone and teeth samples are often the only, and almost always the best, biological material available for DNA profiling. Standard methods for extraction of DNA from such samples involve grinding of the bone and teeth samples. Here, we present an extremely efficient protocol for recovery of DNA from bone samples by a method of scrapping. The study was carried out on 25 samples and it was found that the quantity of DNA isolated by the scrapping method was up to 1.131 ng/µl with a success rate of 93% as compared to a much lower yield of 0.359 ng/µl DNA isolated with a success rate of 28% through the grinding method. The scrapping method of DNA extraction has been proven to be extremely useful in forensic examination of challenging samples that had multiple failures using the traditional grinding method.

Making decisions in missing person identification cases with low statistical power

The present work proposes a general strategy for dealing with missing person identification cases through DNA-database search. Our main example is the identification of abducted children in the last civic-dictatorship of Argentina, known as the “Missing Grandchildren of Argentina”. Particularly we focus on those pedigrees where few, or only distant relatives of the missing person are available, resulting in low statistical power. For such complex cases we provide a statistical method for selecting a likelihood ratio (LR) threshold for each pedigree based on error rates. Furthermore, we provide an open-source user friendly software for computing LR thresholds and error rates. The strategy described in the paper could be applied to other large-scale cases of DNA-based identification hampered by low statistical power.