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DNA Analysis and Document Examination: The Impact of Each Technique on Respective Analyses
Author(s) -
Parsons Lauren,
Sharfe Gordon,
Vintiner Sue
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12848
Subject(s) - dna , computer science , sampling (signal processing) , counterfeit , criminal case , information retrieval , dna testing , forensic examination , computational biology , biology , geography , engineering , genetics , forensic engineering , archaeology , political science , computer vision , law , filter (signal processing)
Threatening letters, counterfeit documents, and anonymous notes can commonly be encountered in criminal situations. Such handwritten documents may encourage DNA to transfer from the writer's hands and lower arms when these areas come into contact with the document. As any DNA transferred is likely to be at a low level, sensitive low copy number ( LCN ) DNA analysis can be employed for testing document exhibits. In this study, we determine locations on the document that are most commonly touched during writing and handling and compare DNA recovery from these sites. We describe the impact of DNA sampling on subsequent document examination techniques including the ESDA ® and likewise the effect of the ESDA ® and two other document examination techniques on subsequent DNA analysis. The findings from this study suggest that DNA results can be obtained through targeted sampling of document evidence, but that care is required when ordering these examination strategies.