TY - JOUR
T1 - DNA transfer to firearms in alternative realistic handling scenarios
AU - Gosch, Annica
AU - Euteneuer, Jan
AU - Preuß-Wössner, Johanna
AU - Courts, Cornelius
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for kindly providing their feedback and comments and thereby improving on this manuscript. We are very grateful to Katharina P?hls, Alexander Flache, Christopher Noack and Saskia Jung for their reliance and patience in partaking in this study. The expert technical assistance of Katharina ?Rainbow? P?hls and Stefanie Petzel is also gratefully acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/9
Y1 - 2020/9
N2 - Firearms are the most relevant items of evidence in gun-related crimes, likely bearing various traces facilitating an objective reconstruction of the crime. Trace DNA recovered from firearm surfaces might help to identify individual(s) having handled the firearm and thereby possibly to link the firearm and the corresponding shooter, however, the interpretation of DNA traces on handled items can be challenging and requires a detailed understanding of various factors impacting DNA prevalence, transfer, persistence and recovery. Herein, we aimed at improving our understanding of factors affecting the variability of trace DNA characteristics recovered from firearms handled in gun-related crimes: Skin contact traces were recovered from various outer surfaces of two types of firearms handled in four realistic, casework-relevant handling scenarios and the corresponding trace characteristics (DNA yield, number of contributors, relative profile contribution for known and unknown contributors, LRs) were compared. Trace DNA characteristics differed distinctly between handling conditions, firearm and surface types as well as handling individuals and intraindividual deposits emphasizing the variability and complexity of trace DNA profile composition expected to be recovered from firearms after realistic handling scenarios. The obtained results can provide useful insights for forensic experts evaluating alternative activity level propositions in gun-related crimes.
AB - Firearms are the most relevant items of evidence in gun-related crimes, likely bearing various traces facilitating an objective reconstruction of the crime. Trace DNA recovered from firearm surfaces might help to identify individual(s) having handled the firearm and thereby possibly to link the firearm and the corresponding shooter, however, the interpretation of DNA traces on handled items can be challenging and requires a detailed understanding of various factors impacting DNA prevalence, transfer, persistence and recovery. Herein, we aimed at improving our understanding of factors affecting the variability of trace DNA characteristics recovered from firearms handled in gun-related crimes: Skin contact traces were recovered from various outer surfaces of two types of firearms handled in four realistic, casework-relevant handling scenarios and the corresponding trace characteristics (DNA yield, number of contributors, relative profile contribution for known and unknown contributors, LRs) were compared. Trace DNA characteristics differed distinctly between handling conditions, firearm and surface types as well as handling individuals and intraindividual deposits emphasizing the variability and complexity of trace DNA profile composition expected to be recovered from firearms after realistic handling scenarios. The obtained results can provide useful insights for forensic experts evaluating alternative activity level propositions in gun-related crimes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088102801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102355
DO - 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102355
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 32707471
AN - SCOPUS:85088102801
SN - 1872-4973
VL - 48
JO - Forensic Science International: Genetics
JF - Forensic Science International: Genetics
M1 - 102355
ER -
