Forensic DNA expertise of incest in early period of pregnancy

Proving incest from tissue obtained by abortion early in pregnancy can be a challenge. Problems include the small quantity of embryonic tissue in the products of conception, and the mixing of DNA from mother and embryo. In many cases, this amorphous material cannot be grossly segregated into maternal and fetal components. Thus, morphological discrimination requires microscopy to select relevant tissue particles from which DNA can be typed. This combination of methods is reliable and efficient. In this article, we present two cases of incest discovered by examination of products of conception.