01
Evidence and sample suitability
Whether the biological evidence, its quantity, degradation and chain of custody support single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) testing rather than standard STR/CODIS comparison.
Specialization 02
Forensic genetic genealogy
Founder and lead instructor of Genetic Genealogy For Law Enforcement, training local, state, federal, tribal and agency personnel on the use of forensic genetic genealogy to identify potential suspects and deceased individuals.
A genealogical match is an investigative lead, not a verdict
Forensic genetic genealogy combines dense SNP profiling with traditional documentary genealogy to narrow a pool of possible contributors. Done carefully, it has resolved decades-old homicides and returned names to unidentified remains. Done carelessly, it produces confident-sounding conclusions resting on unexamined assumptions about relationship ranges, endogamy, database consent and the exclusion of alternate candidates.
Christine Burke reviews that work end to end — as an instructor who writes the curriculum, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and a former detective who understands how a lead is actually run to ground.
How the work is reviewed
02
Laboratory workflow
Extraction, whole genome sequencing or SNP array processing, file formats, quality thresholds and how a usable profile is produced from casework evidence.
03
Database upload and consent
Which databases permit law enforcement matching, opt-in versus opt-out status, terms of service compliance, and the privacy and consent questions that follow.
04
Match analysis and tree building
Centimorgan totals, shared match clustering, endogamy, pedigree collapse, documentary research and the construction of candidate family trees.
05
Lead development
How a genealogical hypothesis becomes an investigative lead — and why it is a lead, not an identification, until confirmatory direct comparison is completed.
06
Documentation and testimony
Whether the work was recorded reproducibly, whether alternate candidates were excluded, and how the methodology and its limits are explained to a jury.
Issues addressed
- Investigative genetic genealogy used to identify an unknown suspect
- Identification of unidentified human remains and long-term missing persons
- Interim DOJ policy compliance for forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis
- Database terms of service, opt-in status and consent challenges
- Confirmatory reference sampling, abandoned DNA and warrant issues
- Suppression and Frye/Daubert-adjacent challenges to methodology
- Agency training, protocol drafting and vendor oversight
Training for agencies and defense teams
Christine creates and instructs courses on forensic genetic genealogy for law enforcement and legal professionals, and leads a monthly task force on best practices. She is a National Certified Instructor through the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
Inquire about training or testimony