Identification of the skeletal remains of the Czech communist regime crime victim, priest Josef Toufar
Language English Country Ireland Media print-electronic
Document type Case Reports, Journal Article
PubMed
30037506
DOI
10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.07.002
PII: S0379-0738(18)30380-3
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- DNA, Exhumation, Personal identification, Totalitarianism, Victim,
- MeSH
- DNA Fingerprinting methods MeSH
- Clergy MeSH
- Exhumation MeSH
- Communism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Chromosomes, Human, Y * MeSH
- Microsatellite Repeats * MeSH
- Torture MeSH
- Crime Victims * MeSH
- Burial MeSH
- Pedigree MeSH
- Body Remains * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Case Reports MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
Parish priest Josef Toufar died as a direct consequence of torture committed by Communist State Security Service agents, forcing him to confess that "miraculous" movement of crucifix above the main altar during the Holy Mass held in the Roman-Catholic church in Číhošť was staged by using a technical equipment. Josef Toufar was presumably buried in a mass grave at the cemetery in Prague-Ďáblice under a false name Josef Zouhar. In 2013 the Czech Bishops' Conference grant an approval to begin the process of his beatification. However, the beatification required the exhumation and identification of the remains. In this case report, we describe the process of searching, exhumation, and the combined A-STR/Y-STR DNA analysis of remains of Pater Josef Toufar. His identification was feasible due to kinship analysis: buccal swabs of three family members (niece, grand-niece, and grand-nephew) were available for testing.
IMTM Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc Czech Republic
Institute of Forensic Medicine of St Anne's University Hospital Brno Czech Republic
Ministry of Regional Development Czech Republic
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