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| 'DNA Mugshots' Narrow Search for Madrid Bombers |
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Detectives should use DNA to suggest what a suspect might look like, rather than simply try to match it to individuals already in their database. So say forensic geneticists who correctly deduced the ancestry of a suspect in the 2004 Madrid train bombings from unmatched DNA. The 11 March bombing of several commuter trains in the Spanish capital killed 191 people and injured another 1800. A month after the attack, suspects facing a police raid blew up their apartment, killing themselves and one police officer. In 2007, a judge ordered investigators to determine whether DNA recovered in the flat and other locations—and unmatched to any suspects—came from people of North African or European ancestry. "Knowing the ancestry of the individual would enable a more focused approach," says Christopher Phillips, a forensic geneticist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, who led the analysis. Read the full article 'DNA Mugshots' Narrow Search for Madrid Bombers. By Ewen Callaway. New Scientist. August 18, 2009. Available: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17630-dna-mugshots-narrow-search-for-madrid-bombers.html |
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| How can you participate? To help examine the potential benefits and problems associated with using genetic identification technologies in law enforcement, the Forensic DNA Ethics project is actively seeking the participation ... |
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If you know of a case in which forensic DNA phenotyping was used other than those included on our site, please tell us about it! |
| Surveys We have an active program of surveys designed to gather data on current practices in forensic science education and law enforcement. Many of these surveys are by invitation only, although public ... |
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resources
| Cases OverviewCases Overview It is not known how often law enforcement agencies have turned to FDP as part of an attempt to identify an unknown suspect or victim; some reports claim that the method has been used in several hundre ... |
| Laws Overview Is forensic DNA phenotyping regulated?
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| Research Overview We are collecting references for papers, reports, conference presentations, or abstracts that report findings relevant to FDP. Our intent is to periodically publish an annotated bibliography that trac ... |