Forensic kinship analysis is a rapidly developing practice that uses genetic data to identify unknown persons of interest through their genetic relatives. It can be used to generate new leads in forensic investigations, especially those involving long-term missing persons and unidentified human remains. More recently, targeted medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiling panels designed specifically for forensic use have been employed for kinship analysis in forensic laboratories. One such panel is the Verogen ForenSeq® Kintelligence Kit, which is designed to be used for the analysis of forensic-quality samples for kinship inference and forensic investigative genetic genealogy. Previous studies have demonstrated that the Kintelligence Kit is suitable for extended kinship inference out to the 4th-5th degree of kinship using GEDmatch PRO and other online tools, however little research has been done to design a program specifically for analysing profiles sequenced using this SNP panel. Such a program could be used by forensic agencies in-house to compare SNP profiles for investigative purposes, without the privacy risks associated with using online programs for kinship analysis.

This work aimed to evaluate the extent to which genetic relationships could be inferred using the Kintelligence Kit, as well as the performance of different kinship inference methods. We performed kinship analysis with both real and simulated profiles using the panel of approximately 10,000 SNPs contained within the Kintelligence Kit, with a wide range of relationship types (up to the 9th degree of kinship) and multiple existing and novel kinship inference methods. It was determined that kinship inferences were possible out to the 4th degree of kinship, and all inference methods analysed were equally effective when tested using simulated data. However, some variation between methods was observed when they were analysed using real sample data. The results of this study demonstrate that medium-density SNP data is sufficient for extended kinship inference out to the 4th degree, and that several kinship inference methods are suitable for use with the Kintelligence Kit. The methods tested could be implemented by forensic investigators as in-house kinship analysis algorithms, and as such support the application of the Kintelligence Kit in forensic investigations involving the inference of distant genetic relationships.

Authors

• Ciara Di Scala (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)
• Kelly Grisedale (Forensic Science South Australia, Australia)
• Jodie Ward (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)
• Dennis McNevin (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)