Rlp Crime Investigation

RFLP was performed on DNA collected from the crime scene and five suspects in a criminal investigation to create a DNA profile to either match or eliminate suspects. By visual observation, we found that ENZ created the same band patterns in S3 as CS. This tells us S3 had the same restriction sites and sequence as CS providing strong evidence that these two samples were from the same individual, placing S3 at the crime scene. However, in a criminal investigation, more evidence is needed to prove the suspect is guilty. Using this evidence alone would not prove guilt since it does not give an explanation of why the suspect’s DNA was found at the crime scene. For example, the suspect could have been a friend of the victim or previously worked at the scene of the crime, leaving behind DNA. Although RFLP analysis does not necessarily prove guilt, it is a great approach to exclude suspects falsely associated with evidence found at a crime scene (Budowle, et al., 1991).

The frequency of this pattern in the general population can affect if the evidence will hold up in court. Previously, some courts were skittish about population genetic calculations which reported odds against a match 739,000,000,000:1 (Lander, 1991). Recently, adjustments with rules and more serious studies have been applied to determine accuracy in variability (Lander, 1991). Multiple loci will also be tested and observed for lower probability of a match for individuals. The FBI have created a DNA database to confirm matches in a criminal investigation. These DNA profile consists of one or two alleles at the 13 CODIS Core loci (Hares, 2015). RFLP uses more DNA than other methods more commonly used today, like PCR. But when only small amounts of DNA are sometimes left behind, scientists are continuously looking for ways to use smaller amounts of DNA with a more rapid process (The Tech Museum of Innovation,