International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine

Ensuring justice for sexually exploited victims, especially minors, heavily relies on DNA profiling to establish paternity. Forensic DNA analysis utilizing Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of determining paternity and maternity in cases involving samples like amniotic fluid, placenta, chorionic villi, fetal blood, or aborted fetal tissue. However, establishing the paternity of a Product of Conception (POC), particularly when it is less than four to five weeks old, poses a significant challenge for analysts. The limited availability of fetal tissue material within the POC contributes to this challenge. Nevertheless, by preserving the POC properly using an appropriate medium, the chances of obtaining a positive result are significantly improved. In the current study, a comparative investigation was conducted to assess the recovery of DNA profiles from a POC sample preserved in two different mediums i.e., normal saline versus those preserved in a formalin solution. This case study serves to emphasize the significance of selecting appropriate preservation mediums for forensic purposes.