Sometimes DNA alone is not enough

by Julia on Oct. 28th, 2008
in Scientific Inquiry

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DNA
Courtesy MASH DnARTAfter 35 years, a previously unknown victim of Texas serial killer Dean Corll can now rest easy. Victim ML73-3349, along with two other unidentified bodies have spent the past 35 years in a cold storage unit with the hope that additional evidence or new techniques may shed some light on their identities. Enter forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick! She has spent the last two years investigating this cold case.

Part of her work included looking over missing persons reports from around the time of the murders to determine if any had the same basic physical characteristics of the remains and reconstructions of what the victim may have looked like. A likely candidate popped up, Randell Lee Harvey.

The next step was to locate relatives of Harvey to acquire some DNA that could be compared to that of the victim. Derrick was able to locate two sisters. However, after multiple tests, the results of the DNA (both mitochondrial and nuclear) profiles matched, though not specifically enough to conclusively determine that ML73-3349 was Harvey.

However, the sisters recognized a jacket found with the body. The victim also had a comb and similar boots to the type that Harvey wore. Additionally, the victim also had a similar overbite to Harvey. Corll also had two accomplices, one of which recognized a drawing of Harvey, and was able to locate the house where Harvey's family had lived.

The combination of DNA tests, profiles, and circumstantial evidence all indicate that victim ML73-3349 is indeed Randell Lee Harvey. The other two victims remain unidentified.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/33207714.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqy...

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