BREAKTHROUGH FROM EXPERTS AT FORENSIC SCIENCE IRELAND

DNA HOPE TO IDENTIFY THE TUAM BABIES >> New technique may help >> Method used on bones pinpoint tragic tots families of executed Harry Gleeson

- BY LYNNE KELLEHER

A BREAKTHROUGH in extracting DNA from skeletal remains is now being used to help identify children buried at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home.

The new method was first used to identify the century-old remains of wrongly executed Harry Gleeson was the first recipient of a posthumous pardon by the Irish government.

The technique of gathering DNA from human bone has also enabled the identification of decomposed bodies and bones recovered at sea.

Dr Edward Connolly, director of science and development at Forensic Science Ireland, said: "It was driven by the desire to be able to get DNA profiles from bones to help identify someone.

Along with helping to solve crimes, he saw it as nearly a public service.

Dr Connolly added: "You're trying to identify missing bodies and get remains back to families."

This week, FSI is hosting the European Academy of Forensic Science (EAFS) conference in Dublin while marking the 50th anniversary of the State Laboratory's foundation by the late Dr Jim Donovan, regarded as the father of modern Irish forensics.

The ever-growing DNA database which has seen its profiles rise from 9,000 in 2016 to around 83,000 at the end of last year proved pivotal in helping to identify an unknown sexual predator in a case which had remained unsolved for over a decade.

ATTACKER

A woman, who was sexually assaulted while walking home through a park in Ireland at night in 2011, did not know her attacker.

Although a DNA profile was obtained from semen during a medical examination, it matched neither the national database nor any of the four suspects at the time.

In June 2022, more than a decade later, the unknown profile was shared through the EU's Prum system, which facilitates DNA exchange across member states. A match was found in the UK and passed to Garda Interpol, finally identifying the attacker.