FORENSIC INVESTIGATIVE GENETIC GENEALOGY IN THE US-MEXICO BORDERLANDS: EXPANDING HUMAN IDENTIFICATION USING NEW METHODS

Abstract

The US-Mexico border has become one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, resulting in a growing number of unidentified human remains (UHR) being found in the southwestern United States every year. Medical Examiners in the region are constantly facing an overwhelming caseload of unresolved cases involving undocumented border crossers (UBC). Traditional identification methods such as the comparison of autopsy findings, fingerprints, dental records, and DNA against antemortem records for the missing are limited by the extreme environmental degradation of the remains and by the absence of missing person data in federal databases. This thesis examines Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG), a relatively new forensic science that uses SNP-based DNA profiles and traditional genealogical techniques to form possible leads. Through a literature review of the FIGG process, forensic human identification, and engagement with professionals in both fields, this study evaluates both FIGG’s potential and limitations when specifically applied to migrant deaths. Although FIGG is a powerful identification technique, it is less effective in UBC cases because migrants’ relatives are rarely represented in public DNA databases. The findings of this paper suggest that FIGG could significantly enhance identification efforts if relatives of migrants had safe and easy mechanisms to submit their DNA to publicly accessible DNA databases, while highlighting both the promise and challenges of this emerging forensic practice.