Identification of skeletal remains is a part of forensic work. In longer postmortem intervals, DNA preservation is lower and depends on the type of skeletal element, so proper selection of skeletal elements is necessary for successful identification. From twenty skeletons from Slovenian post-war mass graves, 496 bones and teeth were examined in DNA quantity and quality. Smaller cancellous bones have shown to be more suitable for genetic analysis. Metacarpals and metatarsals, showing high DNA content, were used to investigate intraskeletal variability in DNA yield. Epiphyseal parts have shown higher DNA gain, with no important differences in DNA quality compared to diaphyses. In eight skeletons, hair and eye color were determined, and the phenotypes were confirmed by examining three bones from each skeleton.In low DNA yielding bones, where STR typing was assumed not to be successful, the possibility of SNP typing was proven in only 0.5 pg of DNA per µl of isolate. This research has significantly contributed to a deeper understanding of DNA preservation in skeletal remains with extended postmortem intervals and has enhanced the methods for sample collection in forensic cases. Through the analysis of various skeletal elements, we validated the effectiveness of the HIrisPlex system in predicting phenotypic traits, even from highly degraded DNA. In samples with low DNA quantities, the applicability of SNP typing was validated as an alternative to traditional STR typing.
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