ABSTRACT
Renement of methods for forensic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis that were introduced in the early 1990s has led to the present “golden age” of mtDNA testing in public or government laboratories such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Armed Forces DNA Identication Laboratory (AFDIL), as well as in private-sector laboratories such as Mitotyping Technologies, the Bode Technology Group, and Orchid Cellmark. e success of mtDNA in forensic DNA analysis can be gauged from the fact that a laboratory such as Mitotyping has completed over 1,000 mtDNA cases since its inception in 1998; hundreds have resulted in resolution of criminal cases, contributory and relevant trial testimonies, and postconviction exonerations. Although it is not possible to retroactively review the history or present the workings of the entire forensic mtDNA community of test providers, a retrospective analysis of the operation at Mitotyping provides a comprehensive overview of the testing process. In this review we will describe how the “state of the art” has evolved since 1996 when mtDNA testing was introduced to the criminal justice system in the case of Tennessee v. Ware (Davis 1998), review alternative methods for mtDNA analysis, and describe forthcoming new methods with the potential to change the ways in which casework is carried out.
