DNA-typing of cellular material on current conductors

The examination of deaths due to electricity may require a comparison between current marks on the body and the electrodes suspected to have caused them. Normally the identification of the responsible electrode is carried out by analysing metal traces on the current marks. We however examined the conductor for traces of biological material after experimentally produced current marks. The surfaces of the conductors were investigated using a low-power macroscope and burnt tissue could always be recognised. Subsequently, all electrodes were carefully swabbed, extracted with chelex and typed for short tandem repeat polymorphisms using PCR. This procedure was successful in all cases. Therefore, DNA analysis can be a powerful tool to supplement conventional scene reconstruction in cases of deaths due to electricity.