ABSTRACTTHE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE HANDLERS ON DEVELOPMENT OF DNA PROFILES FROM ASSEMBLERS OF DEFLAGRATED PIPE BOMBSByJade Erin McDaniel The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in terrorist attacks has become a more common occurrence in the United States. The increase in usage has made it imperative to find methods for identifying manufacturers of IEDs. Previous research has focused on methods for recovering DNA from deflagrated pipe bombs and obtaining an STR profile of the individual who assembled the device. These studies all examined scenarios where a single individual handled a pipe bomb that had previously been decontaminated to rid it of any preexisting DNA. Although such controlled studies are informative, in actuality the components of a pipe bomb could be handled by other people before the assembler takes possession of them. The goal of this research was to assess how multiple handlers affect the development of DNA profiles from the assemblers of pipe bombs following deflagration. Thirty-four volunteers mock assembled pipe bombs that had not been previously decontaminated. Bombs were deflagrated and the fragments collected and swabbed. Recovered DNA was quantified, amplified, and typed using short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. There was a high level of mixed profiles, as over half of the samples were classified as such. In spite of this, profiles consistent with the handler were developed for 11 of the 34 bombs. These results indicate that it is possible to obtain handler profiles from deflagrated pipe bomb fragments, even when bomb components have not undergone any prior cleaning procedures.
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