Title

P117 – Identification of a Missing Woman 57 Years After a Motor Vehicle Accident

16:07
Wednesday August 19th
Station 06
Duration: 12 minutes 
03. Human identification
Berit Myhre Dupuy

On 3 August 1968, a young woman and her partner were involved in a motor vehicle accident in which their car left the road and entered the water. The partner managed to escape and survived, while the woman was reported missing. In August 2025, the vehicle was located at a depth of 103 meters. Following recovery of the vehicle, human skeletal remains were discovered. For conclusive identification, the police requested DNA analyses of the skeletal remains and reference samples from living relatives. Three maternal cousins of the missing woman were identified and contacted, and buccal swab samples were collected. DNA analyses were performed using a total of 43 autosomal STR markers (Fusion 6C, SureID) and 12 X-chromosomal STR markers (Argus X). Complete DNA profiles were obtained from all samples. Likelihood ratios were calculated using the software Familias and FamLinkX to evaluate the genetic relationship hypotheses. The human skeletal remains was officially identified as the missing person by the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos).

Authors

  • Berit Myhre Dupuy (Department of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, Norway)
  • Nina Olving (Department of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, Norway)
  • Priyanca Chattree (Department of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, Norway)

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