Genetic marker analysis in cases of disputed paternity when the alleged father is deceased

Data are presented to demonstrate the utility of genetic marker analysis in cases of disputed paternity in which the alleged father is deceased prior to testing. The first case involves the histocompatibility (HLA) typing of the alleged father's parents and presumed mother and child, in which the deceased alleged father (AF) was not excluded from paternity. The second case involves a similar situation. However, the deceased AF was not clearly excluded from paternity in the HLA system owing to the inability to rule out gene suppression or deletion, but the deceased AF was excluded following red blood cell antigen typing of the man's parents. These two cases demonstrate the utility of genetic marker analysis in cases of disputed paternity in which the AF is deceased. This same type of analysis can be applied to cases in which the presumed mother is either deceased or missing and custody of the child is being sought by the alleged father.