HISTORIC HUNT FOR CLUES
DNA used to sketch dead baby’s mom
Genetic material from a baby found dead in a Calgary trash bin on Christmas Eve has allowed police to release an approximate likeness of the child’s mother.
Using a technique called DNA phenotyping, homicide detectives are hopeful the image will bring them closer to locating the child’s mother, whom investigators have yet to identify.
Just before 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, a passerby discovered the body of a female newborn in a garbage bin outside of a Bowness Road N.W. grocery store.
Investigators say the girl was alive when she was born within the preceding 24 hours before being abandoned.
Nearly two months later, investigators are no closer in determining either the identity of the mother or the circumstances surrounding the incident, which is why the decision was made to try DNA phenotyping.
“We’ve exhausted all other investigative inquiries,” said Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta of the CPS homicide unit.
“We’ve exhausted CCTV in the area and neighbourhood inquiries — so we are really at an investigative standstill.”
While tips were provided to police in the days following the grisly find, Schiavetta said none have panned out. Searches of the RCMP DNA database likewise proved unhelpful, he said.
As the infant’s death is still classed as undetermined, police stressed the mother is not being sought as a suspect.
Locating the mother is necessary in piecing together the circumstances of what happened — and determining who is responsible.
The decision to use DNA phenotyping wasn’t made lightly, Schiavetta said, explaining that research into the technology — and its successes — was done beforehand.
He stressed the images represent only a general likeness of the mother, a woman of mixed race with a fair complexion, possibly Metis or First Nations descent.
She also has dark hair, most likely brown or black, as well as hazel eyes that may appear green.
Police have also released a police artist sketch of the infant.
This marks the first time DNA phenotyping has been used by Calgary police, and only the third time the technology — pioneered by Parabon NanoLabs of Reston, Va. — has been utilized by Canadian police services.
“It’s an entirely new way to think about forensic DNA,” said Dr. Ellen Greytak, Parabon’s director of bioinformatics.
“Up until a few years ago, forensic DNA was only treated like a fingerprint — you could use it to match a sample from a crime scene to a suspect you’d already identified, or to a database.”
First used by law enforcement in December 2014, phenotyping uses genetic information encoded in DNA to determine the physical attributes of whoever the sample came from — everything from face shape to eye colour.
“We’re looking at DNA like a blueprint,” she said.
“We can make a prediction and hopefully help investigators narrow down the field of possible suspects.”
Not only is the technique useful for helping police locate suspects, Greytak said they’ve seen success in identifying human remains.
While factors such as hairstyle or variations in body weight can’t be determined, research on determining approximate age of subjects is ongoing, she said.
Previous cases, as well as blind tests on DNA samples provided by volunteers, show the technology is capable of producing images strikingly similar to the donors.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the homicide tip line at 403-428-8877, the CPS non-emergency number at 403-266-1234, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS.