- 01 Introduction
- 02 Biology of DNA
- 03 Practical Issues Specific to DNA Evidence
- 04 Introduction to the Forensic DNA Laboratory
- 05 Assuring Quality in DNA Testing
- 06 Understanding a Forensic DNA Lab Report
- 07 Statistics and Population Genetics
- 08 Mitochondrial DNA & Y-STR Analysis
- 09 Forensic DNA Databases
- 10 Collection of DNA Evidence from Suspects and Arrestees
- 11 Pretrial DNA Evidence Issues
- 12 Victim Issues
- 13 Trial Presentation
- 14 Postconviction DNA Cases
- 15 Emerging Trends
Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
for Officers of the Court
Module 8 :: mtDNA & Y-STR
Topic 2 :: mtDNA Laboratory Analysis
Reportable Outcomes (cont.)
An inconclusive result could occur even if a sample (most commonly a hair) has actually come from the known person to whom it is compared. This is because a mutational change might have occurred during the lifetime of a single hair to yield an mtDNA sequence that is one nucleotide different from the other hairs, blood, or cheek cells from that person. Although an inconclusive interpretation could result in a false exclusion, it cannot result in a false failure to exclude. Fortunately, inconclusive outcomes are rare.
