4 Dec 2007

SOMEONE WITH DETAILED UNDERSTANDING DNA/HAIR EVIDENCE THANKS

HAIR SAMPLES RECOVERED FROM HIRE CAR
04.12.07, 4:41pm
I found the following really interesting and thought I would share it with you on this forum.Whilst still attached to the head of a living person, the cortex of a hair is light brown, regardless of a person's hair colour. If a person is dead, the cortex will begin showing darker brown bands within a few hours after death. When someone has been dead for several days, the cortex will be well-covered in these dark bands. The cuticle of hair from a dead person will look rough when viewed under a microscope.Nuclear DNA cannot be extracted from hair unless the root is attached. Mitochondrial DNA, however, can be extracted from the hair shaft itself. Mitochondrial DNA, though, cannot identify one individual specifically. All of a woman's children, both male and female, will have mitochondrial DNA identical to both her and all their siblings. Therefore, if the hairs in the hire car have no roots attached, mitochondrial DNA analysis of them would only indicate whether they came from Kate, Sean, Amelie, Madeleine, or some other female relative of Kate's who may have ridden in the hire car. But what if microscopic analysis of the hairs indicate that they came from a dead person, and they match Kate McCann's mitochondrial DNA? What dead relative of hers sharing her mitochondrial DNA could have been in the hire car? The one that's missing, perhaps?
• Posted by: 007

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi there. See my two posts on the forum just now.

Many people seem to be confused as to what constitutes a 'matching DNA profile' in a criminal case. The truth is a reported DNA profile can only eliminate suspects if there is a complete 'mismatch'. These sort of results would show matches in DNA to be fractions of 1 percent to a little more. Once the 'match' starts climbing above 20, 30 percent for example, strong suspicion is justified. 88% is an extremely unlikely possibilty for anyone else but Madeleine. The percentages would anyway not be used in court. A statisical possibility would be presented as to the likelihood of anyone else having an 88% match to Madeleine's who was in PDL at around that time having their DNA deposited in sites where it was found. The probabilities would undoubtedly be expressed in the region of tens-of -millions to hundreds-of -millions to one. This is going to be exceedingly difficult to disprove in any court.

The only doubt that remains is how this material got to where it was found. This I am hopeful will be solved in due course.

To those who keep on about 88% not being a match, you are so wrong and perhaps those of you advising others to read up on the subject should do so yourselves.


U2 GOOD EVENING
04.12.07, 7:40pm

Neither parent could possibly have more than a 50% match. Sean could not have any kind of match, as his chromosomes would be male! Amelie would virtually have to be Madeleine's IDENTICAL twin to get that kind of match on DNA that is claimed to be partially denatured. Simple answer? No to all.

Unknown said...

Thanks Docmac - I do understand 88% natch it just HAS TO BE MADELIENE 'S coprse in the hirecare and that is why the PJ IMMEDIATELU went for then. I have read the Alroy drivel LOL. Like we have always said PJ still need to establish which one of them killed her and how. I am not entirely convinced this was Kate but does seem most likely out the two of them…

There was talk of a big chink of her hair in the car - CAN YOU TELL ME PLEASE IS IT LIKELY THAT POST MORTEM BIG CHUNKS OF HAIR MAY START FALLING OUT - THIS I AM NOT AT ALL CLEAR ON BUT IT SEEMS LIKELY TO ME?

THANKS DOC
VIVX

Anonymous said...

Hi Viv

Even while alive we all lose hundreds or thousands of strands of hair from our heads every day! This is even more likely postmortem as the hair follicle (the root) dies.

Unknown said...

Hiya Doc thanks - does not really take us far on that one then.

Vivx