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Sibling incest
Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 5 (2015) e472–e473
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/FSIGSS
Sibling incest Emanuela Cosentino* , Stefania Turrina, Melissa Ferrian, Stefano Caratti, Domenico De Leo Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Genetic Laboratory, University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi – P.le L.A. Scuro, 37134 Verona, Italy
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Article history: Received 25 August 2015 Accepted 20 September 2015 Available online 26 September 2015
Here is described a sibling incest case involving a brother and his underage sister, both native from Ivory Coast. A police investigation was conducted, and suspects were restricted to two subjects, specifically the father and older brother of the underage girl. However, no clear indication of the perpetrator could be obtained, and therefore the judge demanded a paternity testing. DNA analysis was conducted on the underage girl, her daughter and her older brother, while the father’s victim refused to provide his own DNA sample. The analysis of autosomal STRs was supported by X-STRs. As expected, the latter analysis proved to be decisive in the resolution of the case, confirming that the brother was the female newborn’s father and the rapist of his underage sister. ã 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sibling incest DNA testing Short tandem repeat
1. Introduction The “incest” term refers to the sexual union between family members or close relatives. “Sibling incest” is rarely reported and usually involves abuse or coercion of young female children by older brothers. Laws concerning incest vary considerably among worldwide jurisdictions, depending on the family relationship and on the parties’ age involved. The Italian Penal Code (ex art 564) punish this kind of crime by imprisonment up to five years. 1.1. The case A 12-year-old girl (S1), native from Ivory Coast, gave birth to a female newborn (N) in a hospital without providing any information about the identity of the putative father. The Italian Law (art. 250 and 251Civil Code) did not give the mother (younger than sixteen years) the right to recognize the child, and therefore the hospital management moved the case to the Juvenile Court. A temporary guardian was nominated for the child in absence of a father (older than 16) recognizing the newborn. The police opened an investigation, and suspects fell on two male family members of the underage girl: her father and her older brother. The Judge ordered DNA analysis to establish who between the father and the older brother of the victim fathered the newborn and consequently who was the perpetrator.
* Corresponding author. Fax: +390458027479. E-mail address: [email protected] (E. Cosentino). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigss.2015.09.187 1875-1768/ ã 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Since the father’s victim refused to provide his own DNA sample, genetic testing was conducted on the victim (S1), her daughter (N) and her older brother (S2). The genetic analysis was performed with 22 autosomal STRs, and taking into account the possibility of shared alleles due to the close relationship between the underage girl “mother” and the alleged father, the analysis was supported by 12 X gonosomal-STRs. 2. Materials and methods Genomic DNA was extracted using QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s recommendations [1]. DNA quantification was performed using Quantifiler1 Duo DNA Quantification Kit (Applied Biosystems) by 7500 Real-Time PCR System with HID Analysis software v1.2. All DNA samples were amplified using autosomal (PowerPlex1 Fusion kit, Promega) [2] and gonosomal (Investigator Argus X-12 Kit, Qiagen) [3] STRs. PCR products were separated on the ABI Prism 3130 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). Data analysis and genotyping were automatically assigned by GeneMapper1 ID-X Software v.1.2 (Applied Biosystems). 3. Results and discussion The autosomal STRs genotyping results (Table 1) confirmed the maternity (undisputed) of the 12 year-old girl and, at the same time, revealed the sharing of almost an allele at each marker between the newborn and the older brother of the young mother, with a probability of paternity of 99,9999%.
E. Cosentino et al. / Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 5 (2015) e472–e473 Table 1 Autosomal STRs (PowerPlex1 Fusion System) genotyping results. Here are shown in bold the alleles shared between the female newborn (N) and the alleged father (S2, the older brother of the S1).
Amelogenin D3S1358 D1S1656 D2S441 D10S1248 D13S317 Penta E D16S539 D18S51 D2S1338 CSF1P0 Penta D TH01 vWA D21S11 D7S820 D5S818 TPOX DYS391 D8S1179 D12S391 D19S433 FGA D22S1045
S1
N
S2
X-X 15-17 13-16.3 11.3-12 13-14 13-13 13-17 8-9 12-13 19-19 10-12 2.2-11 8-9.3 13-15 28-29 8-10 12-13 8-10
X-X 16-17 13-16.3 12-12 14-15 12-13 12-17 9-11 12-19 19-19 10-12 2.2-2.2 9-9.3 15-16 28-29 10-11 11-12 8-8
14-15 18-19 10-13 18-22 11-16
14-14 17-18 10-14 18-25 14-16
X-Y 16-17 13-14 11-12 13-15 12-12 12-13 10-11 13-19 19-23 10-10 2.2-10 8-9 15-16 28-36 10-11 11-11 8-8 10 14-14 17-19 13-14 24-25 14-16
Giving that the involved parties shared a close relationship and the profile of the underage girl’s father was unavailable, this first analysis did not lead to substantial conclusions regarding the true identity of the newborn’s father. To dispel any uncertainty, the analysis was supplied by the use of X-STRs, expecting the X-chromosomal haplotype of the true father to be shared by the offspring. In this case, X-STRs confirmed that the alleged father was the older brother of the underage mother (Table 2) and therefore proved that a sibling incest has occurred. This underline the usefulness of X-STR in case of incest, especially when genetic profiles of victim’s close relatives are not available. 4. Conclusions Based on the results of the forensic genetic analysis ordered by the Court, the underage girl’s parents justified the incident: “sibling incest“, with the constant desire of their son to “fall asleep” with his underage sister. Conflict of interest The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. References
Table 2 Gonosomal STRs (Investigator Argus X-12 Kit) genotyping results. Here are shown in bold identical X-STR haplotype shared between the female newborn (N) and the alleged father (S2, the older brother of the S1).
Amelogenin DXS10103 DXS8378 DXS7132 DXS10134 DXS10074 DXS10101 DXS10135 DXS7423 DXS10146 DXS10079 HPRTB DXS10148
S1
N
S2
X-X 19-19 10-12 14-14 36-38 15-17 28-30.2 21.1-27 13-14 32-44.2 20-21 12-14 13.3-13.3
X-X 19-20 10-12 13-14 38-38 14-15 28-30.2 21.1-27 13-13 32-32 20-21 12-13 13.3-13.3
X-Y 20 10 13 38 14 30.2 21.1 13 32 21 13 13.3
e473
[1] Qiagen QIAamp DNA. Mini Kit. https://www.qiagen.com. [2] Promega PowerPlex Fusion System. http://www.promega.com. [3] Qiagen Investigator Argus X-12 Kit. https://www.qiagen.com.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/FSIGSS
Sibling incest Emanuela Cosentino* , Stefania Turrina, Melissa Ferrian, Stefano Caratti, Domenico De Leo Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Genetic Laboratory, University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi – P.le L.A. Scuro, 37134 Verona, Italy
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Article history: Received 25 August 2015 Accepted 20 September 2015 Available online 26 September 2015
Here is described a sibling incest case involving a brother and his underage sister, both native from Ivory Coast. A police investigation was conducted, and suspects were restricted to two subjects, specifically the father and older brother of the underage girl. However, no clear indication of the perpetrator could be obtained, and therefore the judge demanded a paternity testing. DNA analysis was conducted on the underage girl, her daughter and her older brother, while the father’s victim refused to provide his own DNA sample. The analysis of autosomal STRs was supported by X-STRs. As expected, the latter analysis proved to be decisive in the resolution of the case, confirming that the brother was the female newborn’s father and the rapist of his underage sister. ã 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sibling incest DNA testing Short tandem repeat
1. Introduction The “incest” term refers to the sexual union between family members or close relatives. “Sibling incest” is rarely reported and usually involves abuse or coercion of young female children by older brothers. Laws concerning incest vary considerably among worldwide jurisdictions, depending on the family relationship and on the parties’ age involved. The Italian Penal Code (ex art 564) punish this kind of crime by imprisonment up to five years. 1.1. The case A 12-year-old girl (S1), native from Ivory Coast, gave birth to a female newborn (N) in a hospital without providing any information about the identity of the putative father. The Italian Law (art. 250 and 251Civil Code) did not give the mother (younger than sixteen years) the right to recognize the child, and therefore the hospital management moved the case to the Juvenile Court. A temporary guardian was nominated for the child in absence of a father (older than 16) recognizing the newborn. The police opened an investigation, and suspects fell on two male family members of the underage girl: her father and her older brother. The Judge ordered DNA analysis to establish who between the father and the older brother of the victim fathered the newborn and consequently who was the perpetrator.
* Corresponding author. Fax: +390458027479. E-mail address: [email protected] (E. Cosentino). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigss.2015.09.187 1875-1768/ ã 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Since the father’s victim refused to provide his own DNA sample, genetic testing was conducted on the victim (S1), her daughter (N) and her older brother (S2). The genetic analysis was performed with 22 autosomal STRs, and taking into account the possibility of shared alleles due to the close relationship between the underage girl “mother” and the alleged father, the analysis was supported by 12 X gonosomal-STRs. 2. Materials and methods Genomic DNA was extracted using QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s recommendations [1]. DNA quantification was performed using Quantifiler1 Duo DNA Quantification Kit (Applied Biosystems) by 7500 Real-Time PCR System with HID Analysis software v1.2. All DNA samples were amplified using autosomal (PowerPlex1 Fusion kit, Promega) [2] and gonosomal (Investigator Argus X-12 Kit, Qiagen) [3] STRs. PCR products were separated on the ABI Prism 3130 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). Data analysis and genotyping were automatically assigned by GeneMapper1 ID-X Software v.1.2 (Applied Biosystems). 3. Results and discussion The autosomal STRs genotyping results (Table 1) confirmed the maternity (undisputed) of the 12 year-old girl and, at the same time, revealed the sharing of almost an allele at each marker between the newborn and the older brother of the young mother, with a probability of paternity of 99,9999%.
E. Cosentino et al. / Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 5 (2015) e472–e473 Table 1 Autosomal STRs (PowerPlex1 Fusion System) genotyping results. Here are shown in bold the alleles shared between the female newborn (N) and the alleged father (S2, the older brother of the S1).
Amelogenin D3S1358 D1S1656 D2S441 D10S1248 D13S317 Penta E D16S539 D18S51 D2S1338 CSF1P0 Penta D TH01 vWA D21S11 D7S820 D5S818 TPOX DYS391 D8S1179 D12S391 D19S433 FGA D22S1045
S1
N
S2
X-X 15-17 13-16.3 11.3-12 13-14 13-13 13-17 8-9 12-13 19-19 10-12 2.2-11 8-9.3 13-15 28-29 8-10 12-13 8-10
X-X 16-17 13-16.3 12-12 14-15 12-13 12-17 9-11 12-19 19-19 10-12 2.2-2.2 9-9.3 15-16 28-29 10-11 11-12 8-8
14-15 18-19 10-13 18-22 11-16
14-14 17-18 10-14 18-25 14-16
X-Y 16-17 13-14 11-12 13-15 12-12 12-13 10-11 13-19 19-23 10-10 2.2-10 8-9 15-16 28-36 10-11 11-11 8-8 10 14-14 17-19 13-14 24-25 14-16
Giving that the involved parties shared a close relationship and the profile of the underage girl’s father was unavailable, this first analysis did not lead to substantial conclusions regarding the true identity of the newborn’s father. To dispel any uncertainty, the analysis was supplied by the use of X-STRs, expecting the X-chromosomal haplotype of the true father to be shared by the offspring. In this case, X-STRs confirmed that the alleged father was the older brother of the underage mother (Table 2) and therefore proved that a sibling incest has occurred. This underline the usefulness of X-STR in case of incest, especially when genetic profiles of victim’s close relatives are not available. 4. Conclusions Based on the results of the forensic genetic analysis ordered by the Court, the underage girl’s parents justified the incident: “sibling incest“, with the constant desire of their son to “fall asleep” with his underage sister. Conflict of interest The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. References
Table 2 Gonosomal STRs (Investigator Argus X-12 Kit) genotyping results. Here are shown in bold identical X-STR haplotype shared between the female newborn (N) and the alleged father (S2, the older brother of the S1).
Amelogenin DXS10103 DXS8378 DXS7132 DXS10134 DXS10074 DXS10101 DXS10135 DXS7423 DXS10146 DXS10079 HPRTB DXS10148
S1
N
S2
X-X 19-19 10-12 14-14 36-38 15-17 28-30.2 21.1-27 13-14 32-44.2 20-21 12-14 13.3-13.3
X-X 19-20 10-12 13-14 38-38 14-15 28-30.2 21.1-27 13-13 32-32 20-21 12-13 13.3-13.3
X-Y 20 10 13 38 14 30.2 21.1 13 32 21 13 13.3
e473
[1] Qiagen QIAamp DNA. Mini Kit. https://www.qiagen.com. [2] Promega PowerPlex Fusion System. http://www.promega.com. [3] Qiagen Investigator Argus X-12 Kit. https://www.qiagen.com.