Exclusion
Definition
The categorical conclusion that one or more examined features are clearly inconsistent in a way that cannot be explained by projection angle, image quality, or interval change, so the antemortem and postmortem images cannot derive from the same individual.
- Definition
- A categorical conclusion that rules out a proposed match or relationship based on clear, unexplainable discordance
- Disciplines
- DNA testing, anthropology (skull superimposition), radiography, and dental identification
- Strength
- Exclusion is a categorical, non-probabilistic conclusion. In DNA testing, a single non-mutational exclusion is definitive; in other disciplines, the discordance must be clear and unexplainable before exclusion is declared.
Common questions
What does exclusion mean in DNA paternity testing?+
Exclusion means the alleged parent lacks an obligate allele that must come from a biological parent. A single non-mutational genetic exclusion is definitive proof the person cannot be the parent.
How is exclusion used in skull and radiographic identification?+
When comparing a skull to a photo or radiograph, exclusion is declared if clear, unexplainable morphological differences exist that cannot result from image angle, quality, or natural change. This proves they are not the same individual.
Can dental features lead to exclusion?+
Yes. In dental identification, exclusion is concluded when postmortem remains show tooth features that contradict antemortem records, even accounting for dental treatment or postmortem damage.
Related terms
- Paternity Index (PI)
- A likelihood ratio that compares the probability of the observed serological profile if the alleged father is the biological father to the...
- Positive Identification
- The categorical conclusion in comparative radiography that all examined features are concordant, no feature is inconsistent, and the overall pattern of correspondence...
- ABFA
- American Board of Forensic Anthropology. The primary US credentialing body for forensic anthropologists. Accepts frontal sinus radiographic comparison as an established personal...
- Antemortem (AM) Record
- Any dental documentation from the person's life: radiographs, clinical charts, study models, photographs, and prosthetic records. These form the known standard against...
- Combined Paternity Index (CPI)
- The product of all individual paternity indices across all marker systems tested. Assumes independence of the marker systems. The CPI is a...
- Comparative Radiography
- The forensic discipline of placing an antemortem radiographic image alongside a postmortem image and comparing feature by feature to determine whether they...
- Concordant Feature
- A characteristic that matches between the AM and PM records. Concordances build the case for identification; the more unique and numerous they...
- Consistent with
- The categorical superimposition conclusion that examined morphological features do not exclude the skull as deriving from the same individual as the portrait....
- Deficient Paternity Test
- Paternity inferred from the alleged father's relatives (grandparents, siblings) when the alleged father himself is unavailable or deceased.
- Discordant Feature
- A characteristic that differs between AM and PM findings. A discordance must either be explained (e.g., new dental work since the last...
- DVI
- Disaster Victim Identification. The multi-agency identification process used in mass-casualty events. Comparative radiographic methods, including frontal sinus, dental and implant comparison, form...
- Exclusion Probability (PE)
- The proportion of unrelated men in the relevant population who would be excluded as fathers of a child with the observed maternal...
Explained in these topics
- Blood Group Typing in Paternity and Kinship TestingA finding that the alleged parent could not be the biological parent of the child, based on a serological result that violates Mendelian inheritance. A single...
- Dental Identification: Antemortem to Postmortem ComparisonThe conclusion that the remains are not those of the proposed individual, based on discordant features that cannot be accounted for by post-record dental treat...
- Disputed Paternity and Maternity: Forensic Testing in IndiaThe alleged parent cannot have contributed an obligate paternal (or maternal) allele to the child. A single non-mutational exclusion is definitive; the alleged...
- Personal Identification by Comparative Radiography and Frontal SinusThe categorical conclusion that one or more examined features are clearly inconsistent in a way that cannot be explained by projection angle, image quality, or...
- Photo-Skull and Video SuperimpositionThe categorical superimposition conclusion that a clear, unexplainable morphological discordance exists between the skull and the portrait, such that they cann...