Chapter 4: Major Decisions

Once the parameters of a mass fatality DNA identification program are set by the policymakers, the laboratory director will be responsible for determining the nature and extent of the laboratory’s response. It is important for the laboratory director to answer (with input from all agencies and departments that are likely to be involved) the questions presented in this chapter—and to keep in mind that these issues are interrelated. For example, the duration of the recovery effort can affect the quality and type of samples, which in turn may affect the number of DNA tests that may be needed to generate a profile.

The medical examiner’s primary goal in most situations will be to identify the victims and issue death certificates. In a natural disaster, the effort is largely humanitarian, including identifying the victims so that their remains (and necessary documentation) can be returned to their families. However, when a mass fatality results from criminal activity, the identification effort has humanitarian and investigative components. In a criminal matter, the ME may expand the goals to include identifying the perpetrators and assisting with the law enforcement investigation.

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