The Department of Justice announced its interim policy on forensic genetic genealogy, an emerging investigative technique that combines technological advancements in DNA analysis and searching with traditional genealogy research. The Department says the technique can generate leads used by law enforcement to identify unknown suspects and the remains of homicide victims. It also explains that a DNA sample from a crime scene that does not match CODIS can be entered into publicly available genetic genealogy services, where it may generate a lead through algorithmic comparison with voluntarily submitted profiles.

Searching DNA profiles against CODIS is a critical first step toward finding investigative leads; however, these searches may not always yield probative matches. When a search does not result in a CODIS match, forensic science service providers may identify leads using forensic genetic genealogy, a technique that combines traditional genealogy research with DNA analysis. The document also notes that the Department of Justice interim policy identifies third-party vendors as an option to generate the SNP profile and provide genealogical analysis support.

The article reports that the U.S. Department of Justice released new rules governing when police can use genetic genealogy to track down suspects in serious crimes. It describes the policy as the first federal framework for using these databases in law-enforcement investigations and notes that the searches can generate investigative leads.

The DOJ interim policy defines forensic genealogy as "law enforcement’s use of DNA analysis combined with traditional genealogy research to generate investigative leads for unsolved violent crimes." It specifies that this technique, termed "forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and searching" (FGGS), involves developing an FGG profile from a forensic sample and searching it in public or consumer genetic genealogy databases, and emphasizes that "FGGS is a law enforcement technique used to generate investigative leads."

The National Academies describe *forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG)* as "a multistep, multidisciplinary process that combines advanced DNA analysis, genetic genealogy databases, and traditional genealogical methods to generate investigative leads and putative identities for previously unknown DNA samples." They explain that a DNA profile from evidence is uploaded to an approved public genealogy database, compared to users who share DNA segments, and that genealogical research on these biological relatives is used to identify the unknown person by tracing family lineages to common ancestors.

The U.S. Department of Justice interim policy on forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and searching states that its purpose is to promote the reasoned exercise of investigative, scientific, and prosecutorial discretion in cases that involve FGGS. The policy is explicitly about using genealogy-linked DNA analysis and searching as part of law-enforcement investigations.

The authors propose the term *investigative forensic genetic genealogy (iFGG)*, which they define as "the use by law enforcement of genetic genealogy combined with traditional genealogy to generate suspect investigational leads from forensic samples in criminal investigations." They further note that iFGG is a subset of forensic genetic genealogy, and emphasize that "the end product is a suspect investigational lead, not a confirmed perpetrator per se."

This review states that forensic genetic genealogy (FGG), also known as investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), "is a novel investigatory tool that has been applied to hundreds of unresolved cold cases in the United States to generate investigative leads and identify unknown individuals." It explains that FGG involves searching genetic genealogy databases for individuals who share DNA with an unknown forensic sample—"a list of users who share some DNA with the unknown, and are therefore in some way genetically related"—and then using genealogical research and family tree building to identify potential candidates as the identity of the unknown person.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice adopted an interim policy for investigative genetic genealogy conducted with federal funds or assistance. The article states that this policy restricts the kinds of cases eligible for IGG and the collection and use of DNA from non-suspects. It also describes the technique as subject to database rules and policy limits while remaining used to generate investigative leads.

This 2024 review explains that forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) “combines the analysis of high-density SNP genotypes from forensic samples with genetic genealogy methods to identify relatives of unknown individuals.” It notes that profiles from crime-scene samples are compared against users in genealogical databases to detect shared DNA segments, which can indicate biological relatives and allow investigators “to reconstruct extended pedigrees and generate investigative leads regarding the identity of an unknown source.” The article emphasizes the use of consumer or third-party genealogy databases and traditional records to expand family trees from these genetic matches.

“Familial searching in the UK has been used since 2003 in serious crimes where there is a DNA STR profile attributable to an offender, but the offender's DNA profile is not on the National DNA Database.” “Standard STR-based DNA profiles and ranks the likelihood of a familial relationship between an unknown individual who has left DNA at a crime scene and individuals on the National DNA Database.” “This technique can only identify parents, children or siblings and the success rate is around 20%.” The report goes on to contrast this with genetic genealogy approaches that “use large-scale SNP data and genealogy records to identify more distant biological relatives of the source of a crime scene DNA profile, thereby generating new investigative leads.”

The Department of Justice announced an interim policy on using non-law-enforcement genetic databases to generate investigative leads, recommending their use only for unsolved violent crimes where CODIS searches have failed to produce a probative and confirmed DNA match. The article explains that investigators are more likely to identify extended family members who can lead to potential suspects, because DNA is shared between relatives.

“Genetic Genealogy is a new DNA technique used by law enforcement to help solve violent crimes.” “The FDLE Genetic Genealogy team provides leads to investigators based on DNA matches to relatives found in public genealogy databases.” “The use of genetic genealogy helps make Florida safer by providing leads that result in the arrest of suspects in cold case homicides and sexual assaults…It can also assist in providing leads to help law enforcement determine the identity of unidentified murder victims.” “To learn more about genetic genealogy in general a great resource is the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) Wiki page. To learn more about the law enforcement use of genetic genealogy, the ISOGG Wiki has an Investigative Genetic Genealogy Frequently Asked Questions page that contains lots of information and references.”

The FAQ defines investigative genetic genealogy (sometimes also called forensic genetic genealogy) as "the science of using genetic and genealogical methods to generate leads for law enforcement entities investigating crimes and identifying human remains." It describes the process: genetic genealogists "use DNA profiles from a crime scene or from unidentified human remains to identify close genetic DNA profiles or matches" in databases; by comparing the known genealogy of those close familial matches, investigators constrain the number of possible close relatives of the perpetrator or victim, thereby providing new leads in cold or stale criminal cases.

The page defines forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) as “an investigative technique that combines advanced DNA analysis with genealogical research to generate leads in criminal cases.” It explains that after a SNP profile is developed from evidence, “experienced and board-certified genealogists use it to research ancestry and build family trees to develop investigative leads.” It notes that FGG “has helped identify unknown suspects and bring long-unsolved cases to resolution” when applied appropriately.

The NIJ taxonomy page groups materials under the topic "Forensic investigative genetic genealogy" and notes that DNA analysis can be used to test kinship relationships in many contexts, from immigration to parentage testing. In the forensic context, NIJ’s associated publications and training materials (linked from this taxonomy term) describe FIGG as a technique that leverages DNA analysis and genealogy to infer biological relationships and develop leads in cases where the direct identity of the DNA donor is unknown.

In this NIJ educational video, the presenter states that more than 1,000 cases involving suspect DNA or unidentified human remains have been resolved using "the technique known as Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG)." The presentation outlines that FIGG starts with a DNA profile from a violent crime or unidentified remains, uploads it to suitable genealogy databases to find people who share DNA segments (i.e., biological relatives), and then uses genealogical research on those relatives’ family trees to develop investigative leads about the unknown individual.

CFSRE describes Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) as a tool “currently being used to identify human remains and provide investigative leads to law enforcement agencies.” It notes that the process “utilizes public direct-to consumer databases and the same genetic genealogy techniques that have historically been used to help adoptees identify their birth families or parents,” and that IGG involves determining “relationships between individuals based on their shared DNA” and, when combined with traditional genealogy research, can lead to “potential identifications of unknown individuals … or to develop leads in unsolved violent crimes.”

The DOJ Interim Policy requires that all traditional investigative methods have been exhausted and not yielded any identifiable lead or results. The guide explains that IGG results serve as investigative leads only and that genealogical searching can connect biological family members to build and verify family trees, helping law enforcement unravel a suspect’s biological lineage.

The article explains that within forensic genealogy, “a specialized branch known as Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) has emerged as a powerful tool for solving criminal cases.” It states that FIGG “combines traditional genealogy techniques with advanced DNA analysis to help law enforcement identify suspects or victims in unresolved cases and provide investigative leads in violent crimes cases like homicides and sexual assaults.” It notes that forensic genealogists build family trees using historical records (birth, marriage, death, census) and compare genetic information to public or private genetic databases, including consumer testing data, to identify potential relatives of unknown individuals.

“Investigative genetic genealogy, also known as forensic genetic genealogy, is the emerging practice of utilizing genetic information from direct-to-consumer companies for identifying suspects or victims in criminal cases.” “The investigative power of genetic genealogy revolves around the use of publicly accessible genealogy databases such as GEDMatch and Family TreeDNA.” “Law enforcement agencies have leveraged the access to public databases by uploading crime-scene genealogy data and inferring relatives to potential suspects.” “Family tree assembly and analysis of demographic identifiers is then carried out by genetic genealogy experts…to identify potential suspects or victims.”

According to the ISOGG Wiki, investigative genetic genealogy (also called forensic genetic genealogy) “uses autosomal DNA testing and traditional genealogical research to generate leads in criminal investigations and to identify human remains.” It describes the process in which “a DNA profile from crime scene evidence is converted to a format compatible with direct-to-consumer testing data and uploaded to public genetic genealogy databases that permit law enforcement use.” The wiki notes that matches to “biological relatives of the unknown individual are identified, and genealogical records are then used to build family trees to narrow down the pool of potential individuals who could have left the DNA.”

The program description notes that the curriculum focuses on methods “for genetic genealogy purposes with the goal of harvesting probative information from biological evidence to infer genetic relatedness between individuals.” It highlights training on “the use of the many tools available to make connections between genetic matches/relatives that are identified in the public genetic genealogy databases approved for use by law enforcement,” indicating the role of genealogy records and public DNA databases in linking unknown DNA to relatives for investigative purposes.

This practitioner-oriented site describes forensic genetic genealogy as “a structured system for evaluating, advancing, and defending cold cases using DNA evidence and forensic genetic genealogy.” It explains that crime scene DNA is converted to a SNP profile, uploaded to compatible genetic genealogy databases, and then used to identify genetic matches whose family trees are researched using genealogical records, with the aim of developing investigative leads about an unknown offender or unidentified decedent.

Forensic genetic genealogy uses a crime-scene DNA sample to infer a distant biological relationship through SNP-based genealogy databases, then builds family trees and conventional genealogical records to narrow the search to potential suspects or unidentified remains. It is generally used to produce investigative leads rather than stand-alone proof of identity.

“Forensic genetic genealogy is a cutting-edge way to solve cold cases. It uses DNA evidence from a crime scene and compares it against large genealogy databases.” “These databases often contain DNA samples from people searching for their ancestors. When investigators find relatives, they can build a family tree that leads to the suspect.” “If a crime scene DNA profile matches someone in these databases, experts can create family trees…By mapping out these connections, they pinpoint the likely suspect.”

The article says the Department of Justice’s new rules establish that a DNA sample found at the scene of a violent crime must first be compared against CODIS. If CODIS does not generate a lead, the next step is forensic genetic genealogy, which can produce a lead by comparing the sample’s genetic profile against profiles in publicly available genealogy services and then using traditional genealogical research.