Australian research reveals dogs and cats can transfer human DNA, offering police new forensic clues at crime scenes where pets are present.
CANBERRA: Household pets are emerging as unexpected allies in forensic investigations.
New Australian research confirms dogs and cats can carry and transfer human DNA, potentially acting as ‘silent witnesses’ at crime scenes.
The study from Flinders University and Victoria Police demonstrates how pets can be tested for indirect DNA transfer.
This offers investigators a credible new avenue for finding DNA leads.
“Dogs and cats are present in the majority of households worldwide and they routinely interact with multiple people and environments,” said lead researcher Heidi Monkman.
She described pets as DNA transfer intermediaries with major implications for cases where animals are present.
The research found even brief contact leaves detectable human DNA on pets.
Dogs and cats then carry and spread this genetic material across homes and other locations.
“Awareness and use of this phenomenon could offer investigators important clues when piecing together evidence in serious criminal cases,” Monkman added.
The studies involved controlled pet-volunteer interactions to test DNA transfer.
Owner DNA on pets can transfer to other individuals, potentially linking them to a scene.
The DNA can also reach locations the owners never touched, possibly connecting them to crime scenes where they were not physically present.
“We are exploring the potential for cats and dogs to be silent witnesses, to act as vectors of contamination and transfer at residential crime scenes,” Monkman said.
The long-running research underscores the need for forensic teams to carefully consider pets present at a scene.
