Introduction: Tropical climates pose significant challenges to disaster victim identification (DVI) due to heat- and humidity-induced DNA degradation. Methods: This study investigates the preservation of free DNA from decomposed cadavers for MPS-based DVI. Psoas muscle tissues were preserved in modified TENT and DNA/RNA Shield™ at 25°C and 35°C for 1, 2, and 3 months. Following silica-based purification (QIAquick®), free DNA was analyzed using the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit to assess its quality and completeness for MPS analysis. Results: Coverage of Y-STRs, X-STRs, and identity SNP markers relevant to DVI was evaluated. The study confirms that DNA/RNA Shield™ is more effective than modified TENT in preserving free DNA integrity, allowing for higher STR allele detection over time. This finding aligns with previous research, emphasizing DNA/RNA Shield™'s superior performance in maintaining variant and marker detectability across various conditions. Conclusion: This research explores the feasibility of utilizing free DNA as an alternative source for reliable MPS-based identification in challenging tropical conditions.
Worrapitirungsi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.