April 18/2024 Saanich Police & their Feb. 2021 promise of new DNA technology.
What’s happening out there Saanich Police?
Markus Anastasiades is a public information and communications officer with the Saanich Police Department in British Columbia, Canada. He has been involved in various aspects of police work, including sensitive cases such as sexual assault investigations.
CONSTABLE Markus Anastasiades, it’s been over 3-years now since you told us that the Saanich Police were using new DNA technology to help solve Lindsay Buziak’s murder.
The public is solely against the use of false promises, lies and misinformation and we’d like to know that the promises you made truly meant something. Call me Markus, you have my number, and I will be waiting for your call. I’d like to talk to you about how the Saanich Police have always claimed that there was no DNA, forensic evidence found at the crime scene – and if that were true how would advancements in genealogy & DNA analysis be of any help in their investigation? I’d also like to know how it’s going with the new team of investigators your brought on in 2021.
All DNA evidence extracted from the home, which had been professionally cleaned the afternoon of the killing was traced back to Buziak, Det. Sgt. Chris Horsley said yesterday afternoon. (July 2010)
Volumes of data from cell phone towers in Vancouver & Victoria to look for matches between the cell phone used by the suspect couple & any other cell phone transmissions but to date, police have not been able to find a match that might provide information leading to their identification. Horsley said that doesn’t mean the evidence doesn’t exist.
MARKUS, In your 2021 public announcement you said that new technology allowed Saanich Police, FBI, RCMP to follow leads in Lindsay’s murder.
Without specifying what those technologies are, Saanich police note advancements in genealogy & DNA analysis have led to the resolution of many cases. “We believe people familiar with circumstances surrounding the case remain in our community. It is sometimes the case that people who may have knowledge initially do not come forward. Rest assured, we have the ability to filter out innocent people and those whose roles in events were inadvertent. It’s not too late to come forward. “Investigators are reviewing and retesting evidence, including items from the crime scene as well as digital evidence.
Markus, you claim you have the ability to filter out innocent people and those whose roles in events were inadvertent. Well, it’s been 3 years now Markus, how has that been working for you – I mean, seriously you’ve already been at it for 16 years now, just how many more years do you need? If you are re-testing evidence Markus, just what evidence is it that you are re-testing? And what lab are you sending this evidence too this time. Is the US lab not coming through for you? Maybe it’s time to bring it back to Canada Markus, after all we do have some first-rate labs back East you know. I’m anxious to hear about the digital evidence too!
Most importantly Markus, were the Saanich Police able to 100% verify the whereabouts of all members of the Zailo family at the time of Lindsay’s murder? Are their alibis solid. I think that’s really important, don’t you?
I’ll tell you what I’m going to do Markcus, below is some information my friend Dr. Janice Thomas thought might be helpful to your case. The terminology might be somewhat difficult for the average person, but I am confident that your team of experts will have no difficulty understanding it. Janice, an expert in the field of DNA technology is not looking to be compensated for her services, but perhaps it would be a nice gesture on your part to meet her for coffee at Starbucks across from the police station sometime and buy her a latte. That way, if you need her to explain anything to you, she would be happy to do so.
Dr Janice Thomas says:
To elaborate:
Nuclear DNA consists of pairs of chromosomes, one set inherited from mother and one from father.
Located on different chromosomes throughout the human genome, are short nuclear DNA sequences that repeat referred to as Short Tandem Repeats (STRs). The FBI established 13 core STRs that are sequenced to determine the number of repeats for each that vary among Indvidual’s. Currently, there are 22+ used as a forensic standard. Half of these should match the number of repeats from your mother’s STRs and half from your father. This method is used or paternity and forensic identification testing.
Only one cell is required for STR sequencing, allowing trace, mixed or even touch DNA analysis. Like mtDNA, the DNA will require PCR amplification to provide enough DNA for sequencing. Swabbing is used to collect biological material for forensic analysis at a crime scene.
Everyone present at the crime scene is required to provide a DNA sample including the first responders and forensic investigators to exclude them from evidence. Even though the investigation team wears protective gear, contamination of the crime scene can easily happen. Since it is very difficult to commit a stabbing without leaving DNA behind, all other DNA found would be of interest.
Since DNA paternity testing is ~99.9% reliable, it could be used to determine if blood relatives were present at a crime scene.
Mother and son would have a 50% match. If the mother and father’s DNA was available, there would be a ~99.9% match. Identical twins would have a 99.9% match and siblings would clearly share a greater number of STRs than people who are not blood related. In a mixed sample, the victim’s DNA and any other suspects known to be or suspected to be at the crime scene can be compared.
If the DNA results detect multiple family members, the suspects and family members would be required to provide a DNA sample to rule them out. This would include mother, father, and siblings. If someone unknome (UNSUB) was involved, the DNA would not match anyone. These results can easily be analyzed if there is DNA.
76% of female murders are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
The persons who planned and orchestrated Lindsay’s murder needed access to proprietary information limited to realtors. This has led investigators to speculate that someone close to Lindsay who worked in the same office was somehow involved in her murder. Because Lindsay was living with her boyfriend, his DNA likely would have been found on her clothes and body.
Forensics would have tested his DNA to exclude it from any other unknown DNA found at the scene. If any relative’s DNA was found at the scene, it would be easily identified by matching. DNA is also being used to analyze a person’s haplogroup or family heritage based on the % of DNA markers from 20-25 regions of the world. If available, this information might be helpful but not determinative in identifying potential suspects with certain ethnic backgrounds.
Since there was a lot of blood on her clothing, it will take time to get results because many small samples will need to be tested. This is something that can be accomplished with time and should be done in order to solve this murder. DNA sequencing is inexpensive and rapid these days so there is no excuse not to do a full analysis on every inch of the crime scene evidence that is still available.
April 17/2024
Janice D Thomas PHD Scientist stated,
Human mitochondrial (mtDNA) is found in the mitochondria, not in the nucleus where the majority of DNA is located.
In most multicellular organisms, mtDNA is inherited only from the mother’s ovum making it non-Mendelian where half the genetic material of a fertilized egg (zygote) is provided from each parent. This occurs as a result of simple dilution where the sperm containing only 5 mtDNA molecules located in the tail and programmed for self-destruction are combined with the ovum containing 100,000s of mtDNA copies.
Since mtDNA is maternally inherited, it allows genealogical researchers to trace maternal lineage far back in time. mtDNA sequencing is often used by forensic scientists when nuclear DNA is degraded. Each cell has only two copies of nuclear DNA compared to hundreds of copies of mtDNA found in bones, hair and teeth that can be used for identification when remains have degraded significantly. Mitochondrial DNA was admitted as evidence in the courtroom for the first time in 1996.
Mitochondrial DNA potentially can identify persons present at the murder scene. Full siblings both male and female, would have identical mtDNA so it would not be possible to determine if one or both were there. Mother and children, both male and female would also have identical mtDNA making it difficult to determine who it belonged to.
We know the boyfriend was present immediately after Lindsay was murdered so mtDNA analysis would not be able to determine if any of his maternal immediate family members had been at the murder scene. Since they were all realtors, their DNA could be present if they visited the residence prior to the murder. In this case if their nuclear or mtDNA was found at the scene, analysis would not be helpful.
Since we know the boyfriend’s family each had a solid alibi at the precise time of the murder it is reasonable to believe they were not present. This leaves the question, who actually committed the crime? In this case, mtDNA can be used to identify people who were not related to the boyfriend’s maternal family and other people who had not been present in the house prior to the murder.
Finding DNA from someone not expected or known to be at the residence prior to the murder would be important.
If the evidence at the scene was stored properly and the murders left DNA, they can test for nuclear, mtDNA and Y chromosome DNA. Y chromosome DNA is passed down from father to son and can be used for paternal familial testing in the same manner as maternal mtDNA but linking only the male direct line of descendants. Small amounts of DNA from only a few cells referred to as touch DNA from skin and trace DNA from blood, cells, saliva, and hair can be left at a crime scene. If collected, it is possible to analyze these small amounts of DNA.
The standard DNA analysis method consists of isolating and purifying the DNA prior to polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technical term for amplification or making millions of copies from even a single DNA strand. PCR is required to provide enough DNA copies for sequencing analysis. In January of 2024, researchers found that performing PCR directly from the source (polyester, metal, wood, foam, and plastic) foregoing DNA isolation and purification, the success rate was significantly higher. In other cases, (denim, 100% wool, vinyl), and gun casings) the results were much better using standard PCR. Although helpful, DNA analysis remains challenging when there is little or degraded biological material available for testing.
If there is enough intact DNA available for sequencing, the data can then be uploaded to the FBI formatted National DNA Data Bank (NDDB) in Canada also searching the DNA Index System (CODIS) in the US. A match will be found if the individual’s DNA has been uploaded. Unfortunately, if there is no record of the DNA, there will be no match.
In recent years, familial DNA has been used as a tool for partial profile matching.
Using DNA sequencing stored in NDDB, CODIS and other databases, (Ancestry.com) a partial match to crime scene evidence can be made. The partial match can then be used as a tool to create or narrow down the list of suspects whose DNA is not stored in NDBB or CODIS. This is where the detective work becomes important. The suspects DNA sample would then be collected and tested against the crime scene evidence to find the match.
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