Post-blast detection of human DNA on improvised explosive device fragments

ABSTRACT

Many terrorist attacks employ the use of improvised explosive devices such as pipe bombs. In these circumstances, the perpetrator may be absent from the scene, necessitating the need for a quick resolution. Forensic DNA analysis is one of the key disciplines utilized to identify possible offenders in terror-related crimes; however, its success in post-blast environments is unpredictable. Through using a known quantity of human DNA on pre-blast samples, post-blast DNA results can be assessed for STR profiling suitability. In this study, two pipe bombs were constructed and doped with varying concentrations of human blood. The samples were extracted using the DNA IQ System extraction kit and quantified using the Quantifiler Trio DNA Quantification Kit. The results obtained from this analysis confirm the presence of DNA post-blast. The variation between post-blast and pre-blast samples was not found to be statistically significantly different. Furthermore, the results indicate that 55% of the samples quantified post-blast could produce partial or full profiles in downstream DNA testing.

KEYWORDS:

• IED
• DNA
• post-blast
• pre-blast
• forensic science

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge my supervisors, John Coumbaros and Brendan Chapman as well as Alcoa, Bradley Oldfield and the entire blast crew at the Huntly mine site.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was performed to satisfy the requirements for a Master of Forensic Science, funded by Murdoch University.