The DNA File

Much of the hope for solving the mystery of Alexandra Wiwcharuk’s murder lies in the potential if the DNA evidence recovered from her body.

Collecting and quantifying DNA evidence is a slow, painstaking process that bears scant resemblance to the instantaneous results produced in dramatic TV programs such as CSI.

First, there is a distinction between two types of DNA:

Mitochondrial and Nuclear

The search for and processing of DNA evidence as a potential tool to identify Alex Wiwcharuk’s murderer during the decades-long investigation, is itself a kind of chronology of the development of DNA testing in police work.

The AW DNA case file summary

For more information on forensic DNA testing and how it relates to the Wiwcharuk case specifically, please visit our related story links:

• Interview: Sgt. Phil Farion of the Saskatoon Police Service
• Interview: Karl Hummel, forensics expert