A Validation of STRmix™ for Forensic Casework

The interpretation of complex DNA profiles has been a controversial issue in forensic biology. The current methods of interpretation are limited in scope and do not make full use of the data. Efforts have been made to develop software which can incorporate more data and process more calculations than were previously possible. One such program, STRmix™ (Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Porirua, New Zealand), uses a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) principle to simulate many different possible profiles and determine the probability of observing a profile in the evidence. A validation of this software is necessary to indicate which situations are appropriate for analysis and define existing limitations.