Collecting DNA samples at death
We’ve all seen cases where this has happened.
Where we knew DNA testing was something that we wanted to do.
But where somehow it was treated as something that could always be done.
DNA testing was something that could always be done.
Down the road. Someday. When there was time.
And then, suddenly, there was no more time.
The issue was first raised to The Legal Genealogist in 2013 when reader Pat Rand brought it up. And we reviewed then how to go about collecting DNA samples at death and getting them tested for genealogical purposes, as well as the law to review in case a funeral director balked.1
And the issue just came up again this week — but with an unfortunate twist. A customer service representative at a major DNA testing company got it wrong, and said it couldn’t be done.
Yes, it can. Family Tree DNA will accept DNA swabs collected after death, attempt to extract a DNA sample from the swab and analyze it for genealogical research. Other DNA testing companies require a saliva sample, so this is the big option when time runs out.
So let’s review how to proceed.
First, remember that you’re going to have to buy a test. You may not need (or have time to get) a test kit from the company, but you will have to pay for the testing. So go ahead and contact the company and get the test ordered.
Second, you need to get the supplies to get a DNA sample. If time allows, get Family Tree DNA’s test kit shipped to you overnight. Using the swabs they provide and the collection system they use will give you the very best chance of obtaining a useful sample.
Alternatively, if time doesn’t allow, for any reason, try to pick up a testing kit from a local drug store or pharmacy, making sure it’s one of the kits that uses swabs. (For example, don’t buy a 23andMe test kit even if you can find one at the drug store. It’s a saliva kit.)
Yet another alternative is to ask the funeral home handling arrangements if they’ve done this before and have a kit or sample system on hand. Some these days are providing this service.
And if all else fails, what you absolutely have to have is a pair of q-tips and a paper bag. The q-tips to use as swabs and the paper bag for storage — and it’s important that it be paper, not plastic. More on that in a minute.
Third, you need to collect the sample. This is nothing more than rubbing one swab firmly on the inside of each cheek for about 60 seconds. Doing one swab on each side rather than two on one side gives you the best chance of getting a useful sample.
If this is something you’re uncomfortable doing, ask the funeral director to do it for you. And seriously, it isn’t a major thing here. Bennett Greenspan, president of Family Tree DNA, advises that all that’s needed is to use the swab or a q-tip and scrape inside the cheek of the deceased.
If the funeral home balks because its staff isn’t clear on the law, print out that 2013 post on the legal issues and bring it with you. In general, if you have the legal right to be making the arrangements for disposition of the remains, you have the legal right to collect that DNA sample.2
Fourth, get the sample ready to send to the lab. If you’ve had time to get the DNA test kit, follow its directions for putting the swabs in the tubes. If you’ve had to use a stop-gap like a q-tip, Greenspan says it’s still a simple matter to handle the swabs after the samples are taken: “Just let the swabs air dry, place in a paper bag, not plastic, and mail to us.”
Finally, when you do send the sample in, make sure you tell the company it’s a post-mortem sample because the lab has special handling procedures in place in these cases.
Of course, we all want to get testing done at a time and under circumstances when it’s fun and a joy to everyone involved. A word to the wise, of course, is: get testing done now.
But in those cases where time runs out, don’t hesitate to go ahead … with, at a minimum, a few q-tips and a paper bag.
SOURCES
- See Judy G. Russell, “DNA: life after death,” The Legal Genealogist, posted 30 June 2013 (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : accessed 28 Jan 2018). ↩
- Ibid. ↩
Judy, none of the DNA testing services requires actual saliva for testing. You can do saliva-based DNA tests from swabs like Family Tree DNA following the instructions at http://anotherteenmom.com/reviews/how-to-do-an-ancestrydna-test-without-spit/. I used this for a relative who couldn’t do the Ancestry spit test and it worked perfectly.
It would be great to know what Ancestry, 23andMe, and MyHeritage policy is for such “life after death” tests. I can imagine each company would have a different interpretations and policy regarding the consent issues. Thanks!
I would like to know about come crime scene investigation for a deceased person
There are many articles about this research out there. Just google it.
My brother passed and before I could get a saliva or cheek swab he had been embalmed. However, I was given a hair sample. Does anyone know if there is anyone that can do DNA testing on hair?
Unfortunately, none of the genetic genealogy testing companies do this sort of thing. You’d have to try to find a specialty lab to make the attempt to extract a sample for further testing, understanding from the outset that it would like be expensive and very well might not work.
Unfortunately, my husband passed away unexpectedly before we ever did any genetic genealogical testing on him. FTDNA was actually able to do the testing for me nine months after he passed using the blood samples obtained from him when he died. I am very grateful beyond belief that they were able to do so.
My friend tried this when her mother passed away. Unfortunately, FTDNA tried running the sample a few times and were not able to get enough genetic material to give accurate results. This very story had made me determined to try to always have an FTDNA kit on hand.
It would have been nice if I could get DNA tests for my parents and grandparents, all post mortem. (My maternal grandmother passed away in 1970, grandfather in 1974. My paternal grandfather passed away in 1967, grandmother in 2002. My mom passed away in 1997 and my dad in 1992). If there’s any way of getting samples from that long ago, with reliable results, I’d be interested in learning about it.
Not without disinterring the remains and doing very expensive tests.
genealogical research is ok, what about post mortem genetic medical
research with the DNA? that can affect the family medical aspects?
That testing isn’t done by genetic genealogy companies, so you’d have to review this with whatever lab you were working with to obtain medical results.
my biological father passed away 36 yrs ago. my siblings and I did DNA tests and found out that all of us are only half siblings same Mother different father. I have an old upper denture of hos that has been stored in a paper envelope, and was wondering if it was possible to extract his DNA from it.
Certainly not at any of the genealogical testing companies today, no. You can check with a commercial lab and see if it’s possible.
My father just passed away 2 days ago. I just found him 5yrs ago. I never established legal paternity and I would be his only child. His common law wife wants to have him cremated. Can I request a dna testing before she does this? Do I need a lawer?
You can certainly ask for it, but to compel it, you would probably need a lawyer. If you make it clear you’re doing this solely for genealogical and health purposes and do NOT intend to make any claims on his estate, his CL wife may agree.