Police have been known to use genealogy DNA to find near relatives, which have then led to stake-outs and capture of fugitives...so it is definitely not out of the question...but still not an immediate concern, even if I were criminally inclined. The mtDNA database is a lot newer than the Y-DNA database, and as such has a lot fewer records. Also, it is not as easy to assume a possible relationship, as marriage records must be known to identify the surname of the mother at each generation. I made a "leap of faith" effort at a match to a 5th cousin, once removed, that would not have been made if we didn't carry the same surname. Obviously, at least a rumor of a relationship has to exist to make the surname jumps at every generation needed to follow an mtDNA chain, so I doubt that that particular database will grow to near the Y-DNA databases size anytime soon. - Stuart Perkins stuartperkins@usa.net On Thu, 2008-07-24 at 11:08 -0400, Mike More wrote: > You are confusing the DNA tests for genealogy with those done for other > purposes. They are not the same test. I suppose that a crime lab could use > the same sample for their own testing purposes but that assumes that they > can get the sample and that it has not deteriorated and that the company has > actually kept it. (I have given two samples: one by scraping the inside of > my mouth and the second by rinsing with a solution). > > Every company claims that they will keep the results confidential. I don't > know if that would hold up in a court of law. But since I have listed mine > on a number of websites in the hopes of finding a cousin, I really don't > worry about it. Why keep it a secret when it is another tool of > genealogists. > > As I said in my earlier message, there are only two types of DNA results for > genealogy at this time: Y-DNA which males receive from their fathers and > mt-DNA which all children receive from their mothers, but is only passed > down by the daughters. So anyone fining my y-DNA at a crime site could only > prove that it came from somebody related to me on the male side, i.e. > descended from one of my paternal ancestors. And the ladies don't even have > to worry about that as you have no y-DNA. And even that is is fairly loose. > I have now had my y-DNA tested out to 37 markers; I have 357 exact matches > at 25 markers (an earlier test) but none of those are even close at 37 > markers. Similarly, my mt-DNA would be the same as my sisters, their > daughters, grand-daughters, maternal aunts and every other female up my > maternal line. > > If you are contemplating a life of crime, the cops are much more likely to > find you with other means that your genealogical DNA. > > Mike More > mikemore@rogers.com > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: mayflower-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:mayflower-bounces@rootsweb.com] > On Behalf Of scanbar > Sent: July 24, 2008 7:46 AM > To: mayflower@rootsweb.com > Subject: [MFLR] DNA question > > > I have been trying to find the answer to the following question but never > get an answer. Maybe this list has one. > > How available are the DNA results to others? Specifically, do they go into > an national DNA bank or are they avaiable to any government agency that > requests them? What if a judge requests them? > > If all of the above are answered, yes, I can see a great deal of trouble on > the hoizon. What if an adopted child gets an order from a judge to get the > DNA for whatever purposes? What if a crime is involved in some way - this > can wash both ways so the question should be moot. > > I could expand upon this but leave it to the listers to just think about it. > > Thank you > Barbara > Frequently-asked questions may often be answered by visiting the FAQ page > for this list at: http://www.craigrich.net/mayfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MAYFLOWER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > Frequently-asked questions may often be answered by visiting the FAQ page for this list at: http://www.craigrich.net/mayfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MAYFLOWER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

All DNA is not created equal. The DNA used for criminal identification or genetic medical disease issues is not the same DNA used for genealogy research. Genealogy DNA is often referred to as "junk DNA" or noncoding DNA that serves no understood purpose in todays world. At one point the Bush administration it was announced that they were drawing up a bill to present to congress to use genealogy DNA databases for use in criminal investigations. Oops! It created quite a buzz in the scientific world and was quite embarrassing to the administration that they didn't realize that the genealogy DNA wasn't the same as coding DNA. Stefanie