The Importance of DNA Data Banks in the Identification of Unidentified Bodies: A Case Report

Background: Since the first use of DNA analysis in biological samples in a criminal case, a revolution in forensic investigations was created by a sub-field called forensic genetics. Also, today, it is possible to identify people by creating databases of the genetic identity of people in society and matching them with the genetic profile extracted from unknown samples. One of the applications of genetics banks is to identify the bodies in accidents such as traffic accidents where the body cannot be recognized in terms of appearance. For this purpose, by taking a biological sample from the body and extracting its genetic profile, it can be matched with the genetic profile of the person already registered in the genetic bank, and the unknown body can be identified. Case Presentation: Seventeen bodies that died due to car accidents and could not be identified in terms of appearance were referred to the legal medicine organization of Ilam Province, Iran, to determine the cause of death and identification. After taking muscle samples from all bodies due to the lack of a sizeable genetic bank in Iran, the first-degree families of the claimant bodies were invited to take blood samples for identification. Unknown bodies related to car accidents were successfully identified by using muscle samples from unknown bodies and comparing them with blood samples from first-degree families. Conclusion: Nevertheless, with the creation and development of DNA data banks for all people, there is no need for the presence of the first-degree family in such incidents, and by comparing the unknown samples in the DNA data banks, it is possible to identify the unknown bodies more accurately, quickly and at a lower cost. Right now, we have a DNA data bank for criminals in Iran. However, the creation of a DNA data bank for everyone is emphasized in this study due to various applications, such as identifying unidentified bodies.