PNP Crime Lab intensifies identification of missing persons

by Kate Angela P. Saura

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory calls on families with members who have gone missing during the Marawi siege to visit any PNP crime laboratory units near them for DNA testing and crossmatching. already submitted in search of 71 missing individuals.

Tedious and difficult bone processing was conducted on the remaining pieces of evidence from November 2019 to June 2020.

The examination was performed in duplicate as part of the laboratory protocol. During the first round of DNA examination, 47 yielded a full DNA profile. All samples that did not yield interpretable profiles were subjected to re-processing and re-analysis.

Re-analysis was performed from July 2020 to October 2020, which yielded an additional 38 full profiles and 45 partial profiles while 49 pieces of bone samples did not yield an interpretable DNA profile despite reprocessing.

The generated DNA profiles from the pieces of evidence and the reference samples were registered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database for cross-matching (Pedigree and kinship analysis) from May 2020 to November 5, 2020.

The creation of the pedigree diagram for use in kinship tests was done using the available data supplied by the relatives of the missing persons. A pedigree search was performed for each pedigree diagram. Whenever a match is generated, a kinship test is conducted and statistical probability is obtained.

“We encourage families who have members gone missing at the height of the May 2017 Marawi City siege to come to any of PNP-Crime Laboratory provincial offices for possible DNA testing and cross-matching to samples we gathered from Marawi,” said PCol. Ruel Vacaro, chief of the PNP-Crime Laboratory in Region X.

The Examination

Some 273 pieces of evidence consisting of bone samples, soft tissues, fingers, dentures, and clothing from victims of the siege were received by the PNP Crime Laboratory Division from July 14, 2017 to January 9, 2020. But only 192 out of the 273 samples were deemed viable for examination.

Eighty-three (83) reference samples (buccal swabs) from the relatives were

The Results

After the analysis of 192 pieces of evidence, 94 samples, including the initial full DNA profiles, yielded full DNA profiles; 45 partial DNA profiles were generated while 53 failed to generate any DNA profile.

Five (5) additional individuals were successfully identified upon kinship matching.

Currently, there are 134 remaining pieces of evidence with interpretable DNA that can be potentially identified if submission of additional reference samples is made. (With reports from PNP Crime Lab X)