Who killed my dog? Use of forensic genetics to investigate an enigmatic case

Forensic species identification: practical guide for animal and plant DNA analysis

The importance of non-human DNA in the forensic field has increased greatly in recent years, together with the type of applications. The molecular species identification of animal and botanical material may be crucial both for wildlife trafficking and crime scene investigation. However, especially for forensic botany, several challenges slow down the implementation of the discipline in the routine.Although the importance of molecular analysis of animal origin samples is widely recognized and the same value is acknowledged to the botanical counterpart, the latter does not find the same degree of application.The availability of molecular methods, especially useful in cases where the material is fragmented, scarce or spoiled preventing the morphological identification, is not well known. This work is intended to reaffirm the relevance of non-human forensic genetics (NHFG), highlighting differences, benefits and pitfalls of the current most common molecular analysis workflow for animal and botanical samples, giving a practical guide. A flowchart describing the analysis paths, divided in three major working areas (inspection and sampling, molecular analysis, data processing and interpretation), is provided. More real casework examples of the utility of non-human evidence in forensic investigations should be shared by the scientific community, especially for plants. Moreover, concrete efforts to encourage initiatives in order to promote quality and standardization in the NHFG field are also needed.

Review: Wildlife forensic genetics-Biological evidence, DNA markers, analytical approaches, and challenges

Wildlife-related crimes are the second most prevalent lawbreaking offense globally. This illicit trade encompasses hunting, breeding and trafficking. Besides diminishing many species and their habitats and ecosystems, hindering the economic development of local communities that depend on them, undermining the rule of law and financing terrorism, various cross-species transmissions (zoonoses) of pathogens, including COVID-19, can be attributed to wildlife crimes. Wildlife forensics applies interdisciplinary scientific analyses to support law enforcement in investigating wildlife crimes. Its main objectives are to identify the taxonomic species in question, determine if a crime has been committed, link a suspect to the crime and support the conviction and prosecution of the perpetrator. This article reviews wildlife crime and its implications, wildlife forensic science investigation, common forms of wildlife biological evidence, including DNA, wildlife DNA techniques and challenges in wildlife forensic genetics. The article also reviews the contributions of genetic markers such as short tandem repeat (STR) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers, which provide the probative genetic data representing the bulk of DNA evidence for solving wildlife crime. This review provides an overview of wildlife DNA databases, which are critical for searching and matching forensic DNA profiles and sequences and establishing how frequent forensic DNA profiles and sequences are in a particular population or geographic region. As such, this review will contain an in-depth analysis of the current status of wildlife forensic genetics, and it will be of general interest to wildlife and conservation biologists, law enforcement officers, and academics interested in combating crimes against wildlife using animal forensic DNA methods.

Medico-legal implications of dog bite injuries: A systematic review

Dog bites pose a significant global public health issue and are the most common type of injury caused by animals. While most dog bites result in minor harm, they can also lead to severe or even fatal consequences. In cases involving serious injury or death, forensic pathologists investigate various aspects, including the crime scene, the injuries sustained by the victim, and the characteristics of the dog suspected to have caused the bite. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the literature on the medical-legal implications of dog bites in forensic practice, in order to recognize the dog bite victim features, the injuries and their consequences related to, and to identify the offending dogs. The literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from January 1980 to March 2023. Eligible studies have investigated issues of interest to forensic medicine about dog bites to humans. A total of 116 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review and they were organized and discussed by issue of interest (biting dog features, dog bite victim features, anatomical distribution of dog bites, injuries related to dog bites, cause of death, bite features, dog identification and post-mortem dog depredation). The findings of this systematic review highlight the importance of bite mark analysis in reconstructing the events leading to the attack and identifying the dog responsible. In medical forensic evaluations of dog bite cases, a multidisciplinary approach is crucial. This approach involves thorough analysis of the crime scene, identification of risk factors, examination of dog characteristics, and assessment of the victim's injuries. By combining expertise from both human and veterinary forensic fields, a comprehensive understanding can be achieved in dog bite cases.

The Revolution of Animal Genomics in Forensic Sciences

Nowadays, the coexistence between humans and domestic animals (especially dogs and cats) has become a common scenario of daily life. Consequently, during a forensic investigation in civil or criminal cases, the biological material from a domestic animal could be considered "evidence" by law enforcement agencies. Animal genomics offers an important contribution in attacks and episodes of property destruction or in a crime scene where the non-human biological material is linked to the victim or perpetrator. However, only a few animal genetics laboratories in the world are able to carry out a valid forensic analysis, adhering to standards and guidelines that ensure the admissibility of data before a court of law. Today, forensic sciences focus on animal genetics considering all domestic species through the analysis of STRs (short tandem repeats) and autosomal and mitochondrial DNA SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). However, the application of these molecular markers to wildlife seems to have gradually gained a strong relevance, aiming to tackle illegal traffic, avoid the loss of biodiversity, and protect endangered species. The development of third-generation sequencing technologies has glimmered new possibilities by bringing "the laboratory into the field", with a reduction of both the enormous cost management of samples and the degradation of the biological material.