A 1989 murder was solved using the smallest DNA sample ever. At least 750 nanograms of DNA samples were required for identification, while thanks to the new technology, only 0.12 nanograms of DNA was enough to solve the case in question.
There is no doubt that the development of technology contributes greatly to the progress of many sectors. One of these areas, of course, is forensics. Thanks to new technological development, the mystery of a murder case that has not been solved for many years has finally come to light.
In 1989, a 14-year-old girl was reported killed in Las Vegas, United States. The murder of a girl named Stephanie Isaacson was unsolved due to the limited technology of the time, and the killer walked around. But a new development has managed to shed light on this murder, which took place 32 years ago.
Killer identified with only 15 cells
Thanks to new technology, forensic experts have identified the killer by extracting a DNA sample from only 15 human cells left from that time. This development, which surprised everyone, also comforted Stephanie’s mother.
Although it is known that the killer died in 1995, it is a great achievement to be able to make this determination from a small DNA sample. Police said they reached this conclusion by sequencing the genome and using family tree data.
The murder investigation was conducted at Othram, a laboratory that investigates old cases. For the DNA sequencing process, 750 to 1000 nanograms of DNA samples were usually required, while only 0.12 nanograms of DNA were available in this case. The discovery of killer Darren Roy Marchand on this evidence marks the beginning of a new era in Forensic Medicine. Marchand’s DNA also matched another murder case that took place in 1986. The company is currently investigating murders that took place in 1881.
