ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 2

Parentage Testing on Blood Crusts from Firearms Projectiles by DNA Typing Settles an Insurance Fraud Case
Billerbeck, AEC
Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,

Muñoz, DR
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo,

Iwamura, ESM
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo,

Soares-Vieira, JA
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo,

Cardoso, LA
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo,

(Received 3 September 1999; accepted 12 November 1999)

Abstract

We describe a case of a fraudulent insurance claim. The family of an adult white male (DLF) notified the police of their son's disappearance. After a few weeks, a corpse that presented characteristics similar to those of the DLF was found in advanced stages of decay and was identified by the family as being DLF. The family then filed a claim for the life insurance that DLF had taken out just before he disappeared. Suspicions were raised about the identification of the corpse, because it had been done only visually, and because the insurance policy had been taken out just prior to DLF's disappearance. The insurance company requested a postmortem examination for identification. As the corpse had been cremated immediately after identification by the family, the biological material that was encrusted on the two projectiles removed from the body was used for analysis. The blood crusts provided enough genomic DNA for us to carry out PCR base typing of HLA-DQA1, D1S80, HUMCSF1PO, HUMTPOX, HUMTH01, D3S1744, D12S1090, D18S849, and amelogenin. Results from all loci typing from the corpse presumed to be that of DLF were then compared with that of his alleged biological parents, revealing genetic incompatibility.

Keywords:
forensic science, parentage testing, polymerase chain reaction, blood crusts, DNA typing, insurance fraud, HLA-DQA1, D1S80, HUMCSF1PO, HUMTPOX, HUMTH01, D3S1744, D12S1090, D18S849, amelogenin, Brazil

Paper ID: JFS14841J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS14841J
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