Thomas Parsons

Director of Forensic Science

International Commission on Missing Persons

The Potential of Forensic Genetics in

Resolving the Fate of the Missing

What are the technical tools needed?• Discovery

– Information systems

– Social Media

– Remote Imaging

– Geophysics

– Physical probing

• Recovery– Scene of Crime Documentation

– Forensic Archaeology

– Specialized Search and Recovery Teams; Canine, Diving, etc…

• Identification– Pathology, Fingerprint, Dental, Medical, Anthropology, DNA

– Systems for collection of AM data

– Databases and informatics for storage and comparison• Protection of Sensitive Data

Additional Hallmarks, Key Considerations

• In many incidents, response is conducted within a rule of law framework.– Response should be a responsibility of states.

– Terrorism• Criminal Investigations

– Recovery pattern, identifications, etc… pertain to both prosecutions and family relief

– War Crimes and Human Rights Violations• In addition to the “right to know the truth” we must consider

“right to justice” through effective investigation

– Requirement for high grade forensic analysis that can meet legal standards in a variety of applications.

• Adequate data protection, consent and subjects’ control of personal data.

Science cannot act in a vacuum.

• Additional Requirements

• Predetermined Roles and Responsibilities– Medical Legal Authorities

– Government Ministries (Justice, Human Rights, Foreign, Health)

– Law Enforcement

– Emergency Responders

– International Mechanisms• Criminal Tribunals

• INTERPOL

• Public Involvement and Outreach• Communication

• Trust

• Source of necessary information or genetic samples

Additional Requirements

• Science cannot act in a vacuum.

• Predetermined Roles and Responsibilities– Medical Legal Authorities

– Ministries (Justice, Human Rights, Foreign)

– Law Enforcement

– Emergency Responders

– International Mechanisms• Tribunals

• INTERPOL

• Public involvement and Outreach• Communication

• Trust

• Source of necessary information or genetic samples

More than technical capacity for particular forensic

disciplines, these issues often pose the greatest

challenge for an effective response.

A Rule of Law Requirement

An Emerging Human Rights Framework

• Affected Populations are entitled to victim identification efforts:

� Ending uncertainty: The right to know;

� Enable closure: The right to commemorate;

� Bring justice: The right to restoration and retribution;

� Restore public order: The right to rights.

• Victim identification goes beyond “humanitarian” concerns and invokes the rule of law, and increasingly formally recognized rights of human-kind.

United Nations Human Rights Council

• The UNHRC has stated the International Community must:

“…endeavor to recognize the right of victims of gross violations of human rights, and their families, and society as a whole to know the truth to the fullest extent practicable.”

• UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance: the right to truth.

European Convention on Human

Rights and Fundamental

Freedoms

1. Article 2, Right to life.

2. Article 3, Right not to be tortured.

3. Article 5, Right to liberty and security.

Lack of “Effective investigation” has been ruled as a violation of Article 2 and 3.

Forensic DNA is an essential tool for meetingthis responsibility.

United Nations General Assembly

Resolution 61/155: Missing Persons

United Nations General Assembly

Resolution 61/155: Missing Persons

DNA is an essential tool for

Right to Know

Requirement for Identification

Requirement for Data Protection

United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 10-26:

Forensic Genetics and Human Rights

• Recognizing… that forensic genetics, when applied in an independent manner and subject to international standards, may effectively contribute to the identification of the remain of victims

• The utmost respect for the principles of protection and confidentiality of information and restricted access to such information….

Need to Ensure Protection of Family Genetic Data

ICMP International Declaration“Declaration On The Role Of The State In Addressing

The Issue Of Persons Missing As A Consequence Of

Armed Conflict And Human Rights Abuses”

International Commission on Missing Persons – ICMP

•1995 Dayton Peace Accord;•~35,000 missing at end of conflict. •1996 Search for the missing begins.•June 1996 - ICMP was created following the G-7 Summit in Lyon, France•2003: Expanded Global Mandate

• -Post conflict, other regions

• -DVI globally

ICMP Mission

• To ensure the cooperation of governments and others in

addressing the issue of missing persons, including provisions

to build institutional capacity, encourage public involvement

and address the needs of justice.

• To provide technical assistance in locating, recovering and

identifying missing persons.

UN Safe Area Srebrenica•Safe Area Established 1993•July 1995, > 20,000 Refugees near UN DutchBat Compound •July 11, 1995: Over-run by Bosnian Serb Forces•NATO forces failed to defend.

July 11-13, 1995•Column of ~10,000-15,000 men •Attempt overland escape to Tuzla.•Attacked en route. Many killed, butthousands surrendered, taken prisoner.

Srebrenica: ~8000 Victims of Mass KillingSeparation and Execution of Men and Older Boys, Women/children

removed by bus.

Kravica Warehouse, ~1200Branjevo Military Farm, ~1200Kozluk, ~1000Grbavi School, 800-1000Petkovi Dam, ~1200

Initially buried in largeprimary mass graves.

Primary Grave

July 5, 1995 July 17, 1995Oct 2, 1995

ICMP Mortuary Facilities

Clothing and Personal Effects

A ‘Book of Belongings’, a joint effort

between the ICMP and ICRC, is shown

regularly to relatives of the missing,

and may provide a ‘presumptive

identification’

DNA Testing of “traditional methods”� ICRC Book of Missing shown to families: Clothing and personal

effects.

– 800 discrete cases from Srebrenica

� Families “identified” 281 cases.

– 72 cases where same effects identified by different families.

� Antemortem and postmortem comparison by experienced ICMP anthropologists/pathologists indicated 56 reasonable “presumptive identifications”.

– Information was “consistent” with identification.

� Subsequent DNA testing were exclusions for 25 of the 56 presumptive identifications.

ICMP Adoption of a ‘DNA-led’ Approach

New concept for mass graves identification efforts

● DNA previously regarded as a tool to confirm

presumptive hypotheses of identity established

through traditional means

Large scale typing and ‘cold hit’matching between

family reference profiles and victim profiles

Testing

● High statistical strength matches then checked

against all evidence in the case, to finalize the case.

ICMP Adoption of a ‘DNA-led’ Approach

New concept for mass graves identification efforts

● DNA previously regarded as a tool to confirm

presumptive hypotheses of identity established

through traditional means

Large scale typing and ‘cold hit’matching between

family reference profiles and victim profiles

Testing

● High statistical strength matches then checked

against all evidence in the case, to finalize the case.

7 2044

226 52

516

2

484

6

522

1

542

4

612

500

1

467

776

592

501

4

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

NUMBER OF OFFICIAL IDENTIFICATIONS per year

on 31.12.2011. (total: 5661+20)

Srebrenica identifications before and afterDNA-led approach.

Total Number of DNA Identifications: 6928

Identification Success in the former Yugoslavia

Family referenceSTR Profiles: 91,701

Missing represented: 29,685

Bone samples profiles: 41,095

Unique DNA profiles: 21,322

Individual DNA Identifications: 17,821

~5 identifications per working day, for 13 years

Re-association by DNA, Single Individual

4 different secondary mass graves and in 11 different body bags.

Two of the grave sites were 50 kilometres away for each other

DNA evidence shows pattern of activity.

29

• The Branjevo Farm assemblage has the most number of bodies, 1725. All of the

secondary graves are along the Cancari road, a rural area 6 to 11 kilometers from the

main road.

Branjevo Farm

CR05

CR06

CR08

CR12CR11 CR10

CR04CR09

• The nine secondary graves are linked to each other and the primary grave. Note that three secondary graves (CR05, CR06, CR10) are not directly linked to the primary by DNA linkages.

• Note the “chain” pattern of linkages from secondary graves back to primary.

CR04CR0

5

CR06

CR10

CR08 & CR09

CR11

CR12

ICMP support of Governmental Structuresand the Criminal Justice System

•ICMP work admitted as evidence in 6 major cases for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)● DNA Case Files● Excavation Reports● Expert testimony

ICMP support of Governmental Structuresand the Criminal Justice System

•ICMP work admitted as evidence in 6 major cases for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)● DNA Case Files● Excavation Reports● Expert testimony

Importance of Data Protection Mechanisms

• Requirement for Provision of Evidentiary Data

• Important for Unbiased support of justice system

• But: ICMP Provision of data only upon specific

subject/family consent.

Archaeology and Anthropology Division

● Archaeology

● Anthropology

● Pathology

● Remote Imaging

Identification Coordination Division

● Antemortem and Missing Persons Information

● Reference Blood Sample Collection

● DNA Matching

DNA Laboratories

Database Programmers

ICMP Forensic Sciences Department(~ 80 staff)

Bodies Recovered in BiH by Various Organizations

Investigative Phase:

Grave Discovery

• Witness Information

– Often unreliable, inexact

• Aerial Imagery

• Geographic Information Systems

•Photo-documentation

•Mapping

•Standard Observations

•Chain of Custody

Scene of Crime

Archaeological Excavation

Total Station Electronic Surveying

Physical Anthropological

Examination

•Through examination a biological profile of the victim is established. Forensic anthropologists examine skeletal elements for evidence of trauma, pathology, and to assist identification through assessment of sex, age, stature of remains.

AM Data Process

Blood Donation

•Who Can Give Blood?

•Father and Mother•Children•Grandparents•Brothers/sisters•Uncles/Aunts•Cousins

•Wives/Husbands for Identification of Children•The closer the relative the fewer samples are necessary

• ISO 17025 AccreditedDNA Profiling and MatchingILAC Standards for forensic DNA

• Modular, High Throughput105 Bone/tooth samples/day maximum55 Samples/Day Steady State

24 Staff Members

Solution: throughput and cost effectiveness

ICMP DNA Laboratory

ICMP DNA Laboratories Work Flow

Full demineralization published protocols

Promega PP1616-locus Random Match

Probability ~ 1 in 1017

LCN Approach, 34 cycles amplification

Accredited ISO17025/ILAC

Validated InterpretationCriteria:Drop- inDrop-out

Additional Systems: EXS-17, PP21, Yfiler,

mtDNA

Yfiler™ PCR Amplification Kit is For Forensic or Paternity Use Only.

Family DNA Matching

---Custom Software

--Pairwise comparison

-Direct Matching

-Half Allele Share

-Sibling Index

--Integrated to Missing Persons and Relatives Database

--Full Kinship Analysis for final reporting

--DNAView

-Pedigree search algorithms, when needed.

DNA match report issued whenPosterior Probability>99.95%

ICMP Identification Data Management System

iDMS• Archaeology

– Field Reconnaissance

– Recovery

– Mapping

• Anthropology/Pathology– Skeletal Inventory

– Mortuary Management

– Examination

• Missing Persons and Relatives– AM Data

– On-Line Registration

• DNA– LIMS

– Matching and Reporting

ICMP Identification Data Management System

iDMS• Archaeology

– Field Reconnaissance

– Recovery

– Mapping

• Anthropology/Pathology– Skeletal Inventory

– Mortuary Management

– Examination

• Missing Persons and Relatives– AM Data

– On-Line Registration

• DNA– LIMS

– Matching and Reporting

On-Line Inquiry Tool: Public and Professional Access

Current re-design: fully web operability.

Iraq

Libya

Chile

Cyprus

A tale of two DVI events

• 2004 SE Asian Tsunami– 6 months delayed DNA

capability

– No standing international mechanism

– Inability to activate qualified

DNA Laboratories

– ICMP Eventually, >900 DNA Matches

• 2008 Typhoon Frank– INTERPOL/ICMP MOU

– Immediate deployment of DNA resources needed

– Standing High Capacity of DNA Laboratory

– ~450 DNA identifications

A new treaty-level International Organization

dedicated exclusively to issues of the missing.

• ICMP, Version 2.0

– December, 2014. Signing ceremony in Brussels.

• Internationally recognized mandate

• New ICMP Headquarters in The Hague

• Legal status: ability to operate and protect sensitive

data, immune from legal process.

Continuing ICMP Mission

• Missing Persons Database Resources– Full On-line Version of ICMP fDMS data management

system

• Cooperative Agreements– INTERPOL, UN International Organization for Migration,

ICTY, etc…

• Database inter-operability.– Ability to bridge databases and institutions.

• Technical development intensely focused on the Missing.– MPS Applications

• Global Forum– Policy, Ethics, Practice

Continuing ICMP Mission

• Missing Persons Database Resources– Full On-line Version of ICMP fDMS data management

system

• Cooperative Agreements– INTERPOL, International Organization for Migration

ICTY, etc…

• Database inter-operability.– Ability to bridge databases and institutions.

• Technical development intensely focused on the Missing.– MPS Applications

• Global Forum– Policy, Ethics, Practice

What do missing persons need from

MPS?

• Ability to handle very degraded samples.

• Strong capabilities of kinship analysis.– Single, distant relatives?

• Vastly diminished costs.– Multiplexing

– Optimization and Streamlining

– Homogeneous Assays, Robust Pipelines

• Informatics that interfaces with other necessary data– Matching and case management in an integrated

identification system.

Huff et al, Genome Research, 2011

One Million Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms—SNPsAnalytical Method for Identification of Chromosomal Blocks “Identical By Descent”

Haiti Earthquake

~150,000 Missing

With MPS the cost of DNA sequencing has

decreased by ~6 orders of magnitude.

Can we do something similar for the cost of

human identification testing?

Human Rights, by Definition,

Apply to All

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