Naslov
Discovering the 60 years old secret: Identification of the World War II mass grave victims from the island of Daksa near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Autori
Borić, Igor ; Ljubković, Jelena ; Sutlović, Davorka

Izvornik
Croatian medical journal (0353-9504) 52 (2011), 3; 327-335

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
mass grave; World War II; identification; DNA analysis; STR; Daksa; Croatia

Sažetak
Aim: To describe the organization, field work, forensic anthropological examination and DNA analysis in the identification of victims from a mass grave from the World War II found on a Dalmatian island of Daksa in 2009. Methods: Excavation of the site on the island of Daksa near the town of Dubrovnik (Croatia) was performed according to standard archaeological procedures. Basic anthropological examination was made to determine the minimum number of victims, gender, age at death and victim height. The bones with identified pathological and traumatic changes were notified. DNA tests were performed by extracting DNA from powdered bones and blood samples from the relatives. Y-chromosome and autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) were used to establish the relationship of the remains with the putative family members. Results: The excavated remains were found to belong to at least 53 distinctive victims. All were of male gender, mostly withgun-shut wounds to the head. DNA analysis and cross-matching of the samples with relatives resulted in 14 positive identifications using the Y-chromosomal STRs and 4 positive identifications using the autosomal STRs. Conclusions: Despite the long duration of time since the World War II, Y-chromosomal and autosomal STRs can contribute to the identification of human remains from mass graves and in other forensic cases.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Temeljne medicinske znanosti, Kliničke medicinske znanosti

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