Toronto Police Use Genetic Genealogy to Identify Unidentified Persons
多倫多警方利用基因家譜學識別身分不明人士
Introduction
The Toronto Police Service has started a new forensic project to identify people who have been dead for a long time using advanced DNA analysis.
多倫多警察局啟動了一項新的法醫計劃，利用先進的 DNA 分析來識別死亡時間較長的人士。
Main Body
Known as Project 31, this humanitarian effort focuses on thirty-one specific cases where DNA is available, but traditional identification methods did not work. The project uses Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), which is different from standard DNA tests because it analyzes ancestral markers to build family trees. This method allows investigators to find relatives and narrow down where a person came from when there is no direct match in the database. So far, this technology has helped identify eleven people.
這項被稱為「Project 31」的人道主義行動，專注於 31 個雖有 DNA 樣本但傳統識別方法失效的特定個案。該計劃使用了「調查基因家譜學」(IGG)，這與標準 DNA 測試不同，因為它透過分析祖先標記來構建家族樹。當數據庫中沒有直接匹配項時，此方法允許調查人員尋找親屬，並縮小對該人士來源的推測範圍。截至目前，這項技術已協助識別出 11 人。
One important example involves remains found in September 2021 near 30 Carl Hall Rd. After the coroner's office decided the death was not suspicious, police used IGG in 2022. This led to the identification of Willard Duval, an Indigenous man who had been reported missing in 2018. His identity was confirmed through the DNA of a relative, Michele Dent. This case shows how forensic science can help families separated by history; Duval and his brother were separated as children when the brother was sent to the Mohawk Institute residential school. Consequently, this identification allowed the family to reunite and bury the deceased.
其中一個重要案例涉及 2021 年 9 月在 30 Carl Hall Rd 附近發現的遺骸。在驗屍官辦公室判定死亡過程不具可疑後，警方於 2022 年使用了 IGG。這導致識別出死者為 Willard Duval，一名於 2018 年被報失蹤的原住民男子。他的身分是透過親屬 Michele Dent 的 DNA 確認的。此個案展示了法醫科學如何幫助被歷史分離的家庭；Duval 與其兄長在孩童時期便被分開，因其兄長被送往莫霍克學院 (Mohawk Institute) 寄宿學校。因此，這次識別讓家人得以團聚並安葬死者。
Conclusion
The Toronto Police Service is continuing to use IGG for the remaining cases in Project 31 and expects to find more identities soon.
多倫多警察局將繼續為 Project 31 的剩餘個案使用 IGG，並預計很快會確認更多身分。
Vocabulary Learning
🚀 The 'Connective Leap' from A2 to B2
At the A2 level, we usually write short, choppy sentences. For example: 'The man was missing. The police found him.'
To reach B2, you must stop using small blocks and start using Logical Bridges. Look at these specific words from the text that change the entire flow of the story:
1. The 'Result' Bridge: Consequently Instead of saying 'So', use Consequently. It signals that one event caused another in a professional or formal way.
Example from text: "...sent to the Mohawk Institute... Consequently, this identification allowed the family to reunite."
2. The 'Contrast' Bridge: Different from B2 students don't just say things are "not the same." They specify the nature of the difference to show a higher level of precision.
Example from text: "...which is different from standard DNA tests because..."
3. The 'Detail' Bridge: Involves Instead of using the simple verb 'is' or 'has', B2 speakers use involves to describe a complex process or situation.
Example from text: "One important example involves remains found in September 2021..."
💡 Pro Tip for your Transition: Next time you write a paragraph, find three places where you used a period ( . ) and try to replace them with a bridge like Consequently, However, or Therefore. This transforms your writing from a list of facts into a sophisticated narrative.