Authorities are still trying to identify a lady who was terribly burned beyond reputation in an earlier this week subway assault. According to sources, investigators are looking into DNA analysis and visual reconstruction as potential solutions to the case.
The girl, who apparently had slept when the fire broke out, experienced severe burns that affected every level of her skin and other deeper structures, including possible thermal damage to her respiratory system.
Authorities have looked at a variety of options, including using archaeological physical reconstruction, given the severity of the injuries. When DNA or other traditional methods fail, this technique is frequently used to approximate a woman’s face from the bones ‘ design.
Face restoration is usually used when a situation has gone cold, according to Nathan Lents, a science teacher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
” That’s when you’re getting into what we call the’ wiretapping’ stage— when the situation is kind of getting cool and there’s not a lot of prospects”, he said
He added that when all kinds of databases ending in a dead end, “nothing’s showing up collection, days and weeks have passed, and you want to visit in the community to ask,” Does anyone know who this person is?”
Given the seriousness of the burns, investigators have concentrated on DNA removal, which is a difficult task.
” Getting DNA from a hard burned system can be difficult, but a lot of times ‘ badly damaged’ just means badly on the outside and beyond physical identification”.
Lents did point out that DNA can frequently nevertheless be recovered from inner soft tissue or bones that weren’t affected by the fire, despite the fire’s severity. He noted that vertebrae like the hip, head knife, and femur have a high level of DNA, which could be useful for identifying the sufferer.
” There may be lots of bones and domestic soft tissue that is available for DNA recovery, unless the system has been fully incinerated, as in a cremation”, Lents told The Post.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez confirmed that officials have made headway with obtaining the woman’s identity but are not yet able to identify her.
Because of the body’s severe burns, advanced DNA testing and fingerprinting efforts are being made to recognize her. We’ve made some progress in that place, but I’m not going to go into detail right now,” Gonzalez said at a press event.
The government have not provided specifics about the DNA results, but experts believe the next step will probably involve comparing the recovered DNA with directories of missing persons and past criminal records. But, Lents pointed out that the odds of finding a match remain thin, as most folks are not included in such data.
The event is more complicated by the victim’s status, as she has just been described as poor. No family members have contacted authorities to assist with the verification process, and neither specialists have provided any further information regarding her personality.
The victim’s suspected perpetrator, 34-year-old Guatemalan immigrant Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, has been arrested and charged with the brutal murder.
Although the victim’s family history can be uncovered using directories like 23andMe, physical reconstruction and genetic genealogy are both on the table, but they may not produce immediate results. Physical reconstruction, while often successful, has been known to offer just exact likenesses and doesn’t always lead to good identification.
The case is still one of serious tragedy and intricate forensic challenges as the search for answers continues.
