Examples of genetic identification of victims of totalitarian regimes in Poland

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Marta Kuś, Andrzej Ossowski, Grażyna Zielińska

Department of Forensic Genetics

Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin

Examples of genetic identification of victims of totalitarian regimes in Poland


― Matt Ridley, English science writer

„A four-letter alphabet called DNA”

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Polish Genetic Database of Totalitarianisms Victims

www.pbgot.pl


•created on 28th September 2012, on the strength of agreement signed by the

Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin and the Institute of National Remembrance -

Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes Against the Polish Nation

•created as a identification tool for a project called „The search for unknown burial places

of communist terror victims in the years 1944-1956”

•exhumation at Powazki Military Cementary in Warsaw; hidden quarter; victims executed

during the Stalin’s regime in Poland; over 200 remains found

•exhumation in Białystok, Poland; gardens of detention ward; victims who died during

Nazi occupation and victims executed during the Stalin’s regime in Poland; almost 500

remains found

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Polish human losses in years 1939-1956

5 5

2700000

150000

30000

Losses in mln

Nazi occupation

Soviet occupation

Stalin's regime


Polish Genetic Database of Totalitarianisms Victims consists of three main elements:

6 6

Genetic database of reference material collected from relatives

Genetic database of evidence material collected during exhumations

Database of collected historical and archaeological data


„Soul Seeker” - database

7 7

Exhumed victims

post-mortem data

archeological data

forensic

data

genetic

profiles

Missing individuals

ante-mortem

data

historical

data

photos

documents

Relatives

kinship with

the victim

genetic

profiles


Victim identification workflow

9 9

STAGE A:

Analysis of archives

STAGE B:

Collecting reference

STAGE C:

Exhumation work:

- examination of

Remains

- examination of

Evidence

STAGE D:

Genetic testing

Anthropological data

Medico-legal data

Historical data

Evidence data

STAGE E:

Final identification


Evidence material

10 10


Evidence material


Lab workflow

21 21

Mechanical cleaning

01 Liquid nitogen

03 Real-time PCR

05 DNA typing

07

Chemical cleaning

02 DNA extraction

04 Multiplex PCR

06


DNA typing

22 22

-STR: AmpFlSTR® NGM™ PCR Amplification Kit, AmpFlSTR® MiniFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit,

GlobalFiler® PCR Amplification Kit

-Y-STR: AmpFlSTR® Yfiler® PCR Amplification Kit, Yfiler® Plus PCR Amplification Kit, PowerPlex®

Y23 System

-mtDNA: HV1 and HV2


Identification workflow

anthropological and medico-legal data

evidence data Familias further DNA testing DNA Stat

DNA●VIEW™

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historical data


Basic post-mortem data

(about the skeleton)

Basic ante-mortem data

(about the victim) Kits used for DNA typing

Relatives used for the identification

(all possible) LR value

male

35-55 y/o

~175 cm

headshot

splitter in a phalange

male

38 y/o

174 cm

executed (headshot)

shot in a hand

AmpFℓSTR® NGM ™

AmpFℓSTR® MiniFiler™

AmpFℓSTR® Y filer

son 24,7 x 106

VICTIM

BOLESŁAW BUDELEWSKI

1910-1948

Identifications

SON








male

20-35 y/o

~165 cm

headshot

fistula in tibia

male

26 y/o

158 cm

executed (headshot)

shot in a leg




mtDNA

2 brothers 10485887

VICTIM

STANISŁAW ABRAMOWSKI

1922-1948 BROTHER1 BROTHER2

Identifications


SON







male

20-35 y/o

~170 cm

headshot

male

31 y/o

175 cm

executed (headshot)


AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™


son 2,8 x 107

VICTIM

STANISŁAW ŁUKASIK

1918-1949

Identifications








male

~30 y/o

~169 cm

headshot

male

27 y/o

165 cm

executed (headshot)


mtDNA 5 sisters 142 x 109

VICTIM

TADEUSZ PELAK

1922-1949 SISTER1 SISTER2 SISTER3 SISTER4 SISTER5

Identifications


Stanisław

Łukasik

1918-1949

Tadeusz

Pelak

1922-1949

Roman

Groński

1926-1949

Jerzy

Miatkowski

1923-1949

Arkadiusz

Wasilewski

1925-1949

Edmund

Tudruj

1923-1949

HIERONIM

DEKUTOWSKI

1918-1949








male

20-35 y/o

~165 cm height

headshot

male

31 y/o

167 cm height

executed (headshot)




mtDNA

mother

father

sister’s daughters

928 x 1018

VICTIM

HIERONIM DEKUTOWSKI

1918-1949

FATHER MOTHER

NIECE1 NIECE2

NIECE's3

DAUGHTER

FATHER MOTHER

NIECE1 NIECE2

NIECE's3

DAUGHTER

Identifications








male

35-55 y/o

~181 cm height

headshot

male

41 y/o

179 cm height

executed (headshot)

AmpFℓSTR® NGM ™ daughter 1,25 x 106

VICTIM

ZYGMUNT SZENDZIELARZ

1910-1951 DAUGHTER

Identifications








male

~40-50 y/o

~175 cm height

no headshot

male

42 y/o

170 cm height

hanged

AmpFℓSTR® GlobalFiler ™ daughter 253141

VICTIM

JULIAN CZERWIAKOWSKI

1911-1953 DAUGHTER

Identifications








male

~50 y/o

~175 cm height

no headshot

male

55 y/o

174 cm height

hanged

AmpFℓSTR® GlobalFiler ™


granddaughter

grandson 930131

VICTIM

BOLESŁAW KONTRYM

1898-1953 GRANDDAUGHTER GRANDSON

Identifications


•so far, more than 50 human remains identified

•more than 2000 DNA extractions and 3000 amplifications performed

•reference material for only half of the victims buried at Powazki Military

Cementary in Warsaw collected, but only 25% are the close relatives

•ongoing procces of profiling of the samples collected in Bialystok

•still collecting reference for the victims of Nazi occupations

•closed population, small gene pool


Future of Polish Genetic Database of Totalitarianisms Victims:

•tools used so far are not enough

•distant kinships

•NGS technology as a new tool

Examples of genetic identification of victims of totalitarian regimes in Poland

Documents

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