Forensic Genetics Genealogy -The Genetic Blueprint: Dissecting the Interplay of Relationship Inference, Database Accessibility, and Ethical Concerns in Forensic Genealogy

We discuss current methods, knowledge, and practice of forensic genetic genealogy (FGG), a new field of forensic science that uses dense SNP data to infer distant relationships and identify suspects or missing persons. It covers the topics of relationship inference, genealogical research, database availability, ethical and legal issues, technical challenges and future directions. Forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) is a novel technique that combines DNA analysis, genealogical databases, and statistical methods to identify suspects or victims of crimes. This paper provides an overview of FGG, covering its history, methods, practice, and implications. It reviews the current literature on FGG, focusing on four main themes: (1) the types of DNA markers, databases, and genealogical tools used for FGG; (2) the statistical models and algorithms to infer relatedness and identify candidates; (3) the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by FGG, such as privacy, consent, regulation, oversight, and social impact; and (4) the potential and limitations of FGG as an investigative tool, and the future directions and applications for this field. The paper aims to inform and educate forensic practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and the public about FGG, and to stimulate further discussion and research on this emerging topic.