Identification of World War II bone remains found in Ukraine using classical anthropological and mitochondrial DNA results

Int J Legal Med. 2020 Mar;134(2):487-489. doi: 10.1007/s00414-019-02026-z. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Abstract

Gyula Ágner was a Royal Hungarian First Lieutenant (1st Lt.) during the World War II and died at 30 years old due to a mine shrapnel injury on 27 April 1944 in Luczky, Ukraine. In October 2014, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence exhumated the remains then transported them to Budapest in Hungary. Classical anthropological methods were used to determine morphological gender, height and age at death; furthermore, metrical and pathological characters were also analysed. Determination of maternal lineage was the only solution to examine the possible relationship of the bone fragments. Gyula Ágner did not have direct descendants, thus the living niece of the deceased (his sister's daughter) served as the reference person during the investigations. Hypervariable regions of the mtDNA control region (HV1, HV2 and HV3) were amplified by Qiagen® Multiplex PCR Kit in different monoplex reactions. The results of the anthropological and genetical analysis supported the hypothesis that the bone remains belong to Gyula Ágner.

Keywords: Forensic anthropology; Forensic genetics; Forensic science; Identification; Mitochondrial DNA; Second World War.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article
  • Portrait

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Remains*
  • Bone and Bones*
  • DNA, Mitochondrial / analysis*
  • Forensic Anthropology / methods*
  • Haplotypes
  • History, 20th Century
  • Humans
  • Hungary
  • Locus Control Region
  • Male
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA*
  • Ukraine
  • World War II

Substances

  • DNA, Mitochondrial

Personal name as subject

  • Gyula Agner