Kinship analysis occupies a different space than most DNA casework. Standard forensic interpretation relies on direct comparisons — a known profile measured against an unknown. Kinship analysis asks a different question: given the DNA in front of you, what is the statistical support for a biological relationship between these individuals? That distinction matters for how analysts interpret data, how they apply statistics, and how they communicate findings.
Misty Marra is a researcher at RTI International and a lead developer of a new virtual training course designed to address that gap. Built through the Forensics TTA Program — led by RTI International and developed in collaboration with Bode Technology — the course was funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance to expand accessible kinship analysis training for forensic DNA professionals working in BJA-funded laboratories.
Marra presented at ISHI 36 on the training’s development and scope. The course is now live.
Why a Dedicated Training Resource
In her ISHI 36 interview, Marra described the interpretive distinction clearly. Routine forensic casework, she noted, is largely built around direct comparison: does this profile match that sample? Kinship analysis is structured differently. The question becomes whether the data supports a specific biological relationship — and producing that answer requires working through pedigrees, calculating relationship indices, and applying allele frequency statistics correctly.
The application set is broad. Marra described scenarios across missing persons, unidentified human remains, mass disaster responses, and violent crime investigations. She also addressed how kinship analysis figures into sexual assault cases where a victim did not receive a forensic medical examination but later became pregnant: in those circumstances, kinship analysis can provide a path to identifying a perpetrator.
“So kinship analysis is a little bit different than your day to day forensic interpretation, because those are a lot of times direct comparisons. So this is more going to do interpretation to show biological relationships.”
What the Training Covers
The course is built around traditional STR and mitochondrial DNA methods rather than probabilistic genotyping software platforms. That choice was intentional. The goal is foundational competency: understanding how to read a pedigree, how to calculate a relationship index, and how to evaluate whether the data supports a proposed biological relationship.
The format is blended. Recorded lectures establish the interpretive framework, supplemental readings extend the concepts, and hands-on exercises require analysts to work through the math manually. Knowledge checks are built in throughout. Marra described the practical component directly:
“We have some recorded lectures, but then we have some supplemental readings. We have knowledge checks. They have to do manual, do the math, all the stuff really.”
The instructor is Dr. Robert Bever of Bode Technology, who Marra described as an expert in kinship analysis. A certificate of completion is issued upon finishing the course.
Format and Access
The training is free, self-paced, and entirely online. Analysts can work through it on their own schedule. Labs can incorporate it into existing training programs without acquiring new software or scheduling coordinated sessions. There is no cost.
The course was developed specifically for BJA Forensics Program grantees, though it is designed to address a gap that extends across laboratories doing this type of work.
Where to Access the Training
The course is available through the Forensics TTA Program website: https://www.forensicstta.org/virtual-training-for-forensic-dna-professionals-kinship-and-parentage-analysis/
Watch Marra’s full ISHI 36 interview to hear her describe the training’s development and the interpretive framework it teaches.