Harris County has been using nuclear DNA testing since the early 1990s. That genetic material is inherited exclusively from the mother, and may be successfully matched to DNA from any maternal relative. It can also be obtained from small or degraded samples of hair, blood, saliva, bone or teeth recovered from crime scenes. In Harris County, the advanced testing played a key role in solving the 1987 murder of Tracy Jo Shine, whose body never was found. Harold Jordan, chief investigator with the medical examiner's office, expressed optimism that the new laboratory will aid in identifying bodies.
State law requires that bodies be positively identified through a scientific process.
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