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Title

P026 – What’s Left Behind? A Case‑Specific Investigation of possible Human DNA Detection in Soil

10:25

Wednesday August 19^th

Station 06

Duration: 12 minutes

03. Human identification

Alicia Haines

Soil is a complex and challenging substrate for the recovery of human DNA, yet it may retain biologically informative traces of forensic relevance in historical and cold‑case investigations. Despite its potential value, there is currently no standardised forensic protocol for the extraction and analysis of human DNA from soil, with most existing methods focused on microbial DNA recovery. This study explores the feasibility of detecting human DNA within soil and associated environmental substrates collected from a suspected historical dump site, using comparative extraction approaches.

Eight samples comprising soil, control soil, leaf litter, and a hollow tree branch were collected from a targeted outdoor location. Two extraction methodologies were trialed for soil samples: a forensic DNA extraction approach using the PrepFiler™ Express kit with a closed automated platform, and a soil‑specific extraction method designed for microbiome DNA recovery. All extracts were subsequently quantified using qPCR, amplified with a validated STR multiplex, and analysed via capillary electrophoresis to assess the presence or absence of detectable human DNA.

This work evaluates the suitability of forensic versus soil‑specific extraction strategies for human DNA detection in environmentally exposed samples and highlights key technical considerations such as inhibition, low‑template DNA, and interpretation limitations. The findings contribute to ongoing efforts to expand the evidential scope of soil within forensic science and support the development of more robust, evidence‑based approaches for human DNA recovery from complex environmental matrices.

Author

Alicia Haines (Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

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P026 – What’s Left Behind? A Case‑Specific Investigation of possible Human DNA Detection in Soil

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