Operationalization of the National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons' Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Capability for Human Remains Identification in Australia

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons (DNA Program) has operationalized a privacy- and quality-compliant forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) capability to assist resolve Australian unidentified human remains (UHR) cases. This end-to-end workflow was developed over a 3-year period by validating and accrediting the ForenSeq® Kintelligence Kit for the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) recovered from UHR samples, engaging a contracted Australian genetic genealogist, and formalizing collaborative partnerships with state/territory law enforcement agencies. The AFP DNA Program's use of FIGG is informed and/or governed by strict policies and procedures designed to enhance the privacy of individuals, reduce risks to the organization, maintain public trust, and comply with quality, ethical, and evidential standards. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the utility of FIGG as a final testing option for UHR not able to be identified using the AFP DNA Program's range of standard forensic human identification techniques. In both cases, a suitable SNP profile was recovered from moderately degraded skeletonized remains (95–99% call rate) and suitable genetic matches (fourth–fifth degree relatives) were returned following upload to GEDmatch PRO™ and FamilyTreeDNA. Genetic genealogy research identified candidates for investigation (including reference testing) and as a result of the collaborative efforts of the laboratory, genetic genealogist, and case investigators, two UHR located in 1983 and 2022 were identified following confirmatory testing. This unique Australian capability now provides AFP DNA Program stakeholders with an accessible, timely, consistent, and proven service for both cold and current UHR cases.