DNA firm schooled in war zones helps ID California fire victims

[November 15, 2018]  By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) - The remains of victims charred beyond recognition in the California wildfires are being identified by a pioneering DNA analysis company that primarily works in war zones and crime scenes.

ANDE, the only Rapid DNA analysis company approved by the FBI for work on military, forensic, homeland security and intelligence projects, was hired by the Butte County Sheriff's office to identify remains of some of the 56 people killed in northern California's Camp Fire.

Coroner-led recovery teams, cadaver dogs and a National Guard contingent scouring debris from the deadliest fire in California's history turn over tissue and bone fragments to the ANDE team, which is able to generate DNA IDs in under two hours through Rapid DNA analysis.

Traditional techniques typically take weeks to generate a DNA ID.
 

"People have experienced so much loss and it's not over yet," said ANDE's chief communications officer, Annette Mattern. "To be able to at least help some families know what the situation is will hopefully help in some small way."

FIRST DISASTER FOR ANDE

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office called the Colorado-based company on Monday, and by Tuesday morning ANDE had set up a work site near Chico in Butte County, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco. Chico, about 10 miles from Paradise, is the base for the search and firefighting operations.

The company, which has about 90 employees worldwide, designed its tools specifically to withstand war zone conditions and has worked extensively with the U.S. military. It has also helped law enforcement identify sexual assault suspects and with U.N. trafficking cases, Mattern said.

But the Paradise catastrophe was the first request ANDE had received to assist in a natural disaster since its founding in 2000.

A Butte County Sheriff deputy places yellow tape at the scene where human remains were found during the Camp fire in Paradise, California, U.S. November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo

In hopes of identifying DNA from remains as quickly as possible, ANDE has set up seven Rapid DNA analysis instruments near Chico and had six employees on site with more on the way on Wednesday, said the company's chief information officer, Stephen Meer, noting the level of work it expects compared to the company's usual projects.

"Certainly we are gearing up for higher capacity here," Meer said.

Once the ANDE team finds a match between remains and DNA provided by a family member, the coroner's office is alerted so it can make an official pronouncement of death.

Death certificates are required for families to settle matters as complicated as life insurance and estates and as basic as a car title, credit card or bank account. Without positive identification, families may have to wait years for a death certificate to be issued for a missing loved one, depending on state rules.

Extreme heat can often destroy DNA, causing traditional DNA analysis methods to fail. Rapid DNA analysis has proven to be more effective in identifying DNA from burned remains and bone fragments, which makes it an especially valuable tool in such tragedies.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York; Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Barbara Goldberg in New York; editing by Bill Tarrantand Leslie Adler)

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