While veterinary forensic genetics has recently received a lot of attention, many of our stories go untold because they are resolved without a trial and the associated publicity. Defendants will often plead guilty in exchange for a lesser charge and lighter sentence once the DNA results are obtained. The following cases highlight the variety of the work that we do and key issues in veterinary forensic genetics. For more cases, visit VGL Forensics: In the News.
In California, despite our Hollywood image and suburban lifestyles, cattle rustling is still big business. Livestock producers whose animals were reported stolen lost an estimated three-quarters of a million dollars in 2006.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Bureau of Livestock Identification, which deals with cases of stolen cattle and horses, reports that 1,043 animals went missing last year, mostly dairy cattle or calves. Because dairies move animals back and forth from the dairy to
feedlots and back again, animals can be stolen during transport.
The bureau received reports that a 28-year-old man who owned a calf-hauling business was stealing some of the animals. The man claimed that he was purchasing his own calves, raising them to maturity, and selling them to dairies. Dairy producers, who keep meticulous records of their animals and their movements, suspected that the hauler had stolen 60 heifers. The Bureau of Livestock Identification ordered DNA testing on animals that the producers had purchased.
By comparing the DNA of cows from dairies that had reported missing calves to the DNA of the purchased animals, the Veterinary Genetics Forensic Laboratory confirmed that the suspect had stolen the heifers and sold them—in some cases right back to the original owners. "DNA is a powerful tool. Parentage verification is just one more way for us to establish a relationship in crimes involving animals," says the laboratory director.
The rustler pled guilty and served 210 days in jail in addition to
having to provide restitution to the owners. "The circumstances are important," says a senior investigator with the bureau. If a link exists between recovered animals and their source, as
with the dairy cattle and their offspring, it is possible to verify that with the DNA.
The Bureau of Livestock Identification is currently pursuing a case of horse theft and a claim that a dairy's high quality heifers are being replaced by poor quality animals.
Hunting the hunter was the task in a poaching case that East Coast
officials considered one of the most significant of 2006. Authorities
from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, acting on a
tip, seized a bear hide in addition to bear
meat from the freezer of a man long suspected by officials of killing
wildlife out of season.
The pathologist reported that, based on the condition of the bear's
remains, the animal had died during denning time when it is unlawful to
hunt them. He also ascertained that the animal's death had occurred more
recently than the suspect had stated.
To bring to the case "all the scientific strength we could have," the
state's wildlife pathologist sent samples of meat from the suspect's
freezer and other tissues seized in the investigation to the Veterinary
Genetics Forensic Laboratory for DNA analysis. The wildlife pathologist selected
the laboratory based on "a great reputation." Specifically, the
laboratory had assembled a panel of DNA markers for individualizing bears.
One of the samples, apparently smoked before it was frozen, was degraded to the point that another laboratory could not determine the species of origin by traditional methods.
The Veterinary Genetics Forensic Laboratory was able to confirm that it had come
from a bear. Scientists extracted DNA from the six samples and obtained
full DNA profiles for each. All of the frozen meat samples matched the DNA
from the hide except one, showing that the bear steaks had originated from the bear that had been shot in its den.
Just hours before his scheduled trial, the poacher admitted that he had
illegally taken a black bear. The court imposed a fine, and the man's
hunting license was revoked.
When an animal attacks a person or another animal, the attacker’s DNA will remain on the victim. In the case of a dog attack, DNA testing can show whether a DNA profile from a suspect dog—which must be secured by permission of the owner or through a court order—matches DNA evidence recovered from the victim.
In 2003, a woman walking in her neighborhood was fatally mauled by an unknown dog or dogs. Within a matter of weeks, another attack occurred on a different woman—in the same neighborhood. During the second attack, two Good Samaritans aided the victim and fended off the dog, which ran away. Police called to the scene followed paw prints in the snow to the door of a home where a man owned three Rottweilers. The owner denied any knowledge of his dogs’ involvement in either attack.
DNA testing at the Veterinary Genetics Forensic Laboratory matched dog DNA from the victims’ clothing to one of the man’s dogs, showing that the same male dog had attacked both women. The owner was indicted and sentenced to jail for involuntary manslaughter in 2004.
DNA evidence may be used to rule out a particular animal from a situation in which identity is in dispute. One family that had boarded their dog “Ollie” at a local kennel noticed changes in their pet’s behavior when they returned home from their vacation. The dog also looked slightly different from what they remembered. They suspected that the kennel had given them back the wrong dog. The kennel owners, however, insisted that the correct dog had been safely returned.
To solve the mystery, the owners sent some of Ollie’s chew toys to the Veterinary Genetics Forensic Laboratory (the “new” dog had not played with them) along with a cheek swab from the suspected imposter. DNA specialists are experts at obtaining DNA material from a variety of samples, including fur, saliva, blood, urine, bits of skin and bone. DNA can be difficult to test when present in small quantities, but species-specific quantitative PCR technology developed at the Veterinary Genetics Forensic Laboratory enables scientists to successfully test challenging samples. Laboratory staff extracted enough DNA from saliva on one of the toys to perform the analysis.
The DNA on the toy failed to match the DNA of the dog living with the family, proving that the kennel had indeed returned the wrong dog. Ollie was never found; however, the family received a civil settlement based on the DNA evidence. The replacement dog has remained as part of the family.