The World Leader in Private DNA Testing

Robert McClendon, exonerated by DNA testing performed by DDC, is home for the holidays for the first time in 18 years. He was released August 11 after DNA evidence cleared him of a child rape charge.

McClendon is the 7th Ohio exoneree (read about the other six in this Columbus Dispatch article) and his is the first case in which DDC provided the testing as part of its pro bono services for the Ohio Innocence project.

Read more about his story in this news article, entitled “Home for the Holidays, after 18 years.”

DDC’s forensics division has worked with The Ohio Innocence Project and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office to provide DNA testing that resulted in the release of longtime prison inmate Robert McClendon. After 18 years of imprisonment, a Franklin County, Ohio, judge ordered McClendon’s release after DNA analysis found no match between McClendon’s DNA sample and the DNA found in the submitted evidence. Based on this new evidence, McClendon walked out of the courtroom a free man on August 12.

In January, The Columbus Dispatch ran a five-part investigative series that re-examined the cases of 313 inmates who had requested DNA testing in the state of Ohio. Together with the Ohio Innocence Project, the Dispatch investigative team selected 30 cases they determined to have “legitimate claims of innocence.”

DDC offered to administer the DNA testing for these selected cases free of charge, in the interest of pursuing justice through science. The case of Robert McClendon marks the first of these cases to be resolved, with DNA testing playing a critical role in its outcome.

For more details on McClendon’s case, or to read the five-day investigative series that prompted the DNA testing, entitled “Test of Convictions,” visit the website of The Columbus Dispatch. Also read DDC’s press release to learn more about our role in the testing.

Recently, we’ve had several inquiries about siblingship DNA testing. There are many scenarios in which DNA testing could provide clues about a possible sibling relationship:

• Potential siblings who have been reunited after years of separation due to adoption or other circumstances
• An alleged father is either missing or deceased, and the mother would like to know if both of her children share the same father
• Estate claims in which proof of biological relationship is required, and no biological sample is available from the deceased individual—but his or her known biological child’s sample is available for comparison with the claimant

A siblingship DNA test works by comparing the two possible siblings’ DNA profiles to see if they share some markers that are inherited from a common parent. Unlike a paternity test, which conclusively determines a probability of paternity (greater than 99.999%) or an exclusion (0% probability), a siblingship test provides a “likelihood” value, or odds, that the tested individuals are more likely, or less likely, to be biological siblings. If a more conclusive result is needed, a grandparentage test could provide a higher probability of relationship, if the biological parents of the individual in question are available.

There are two types of siblingship tests: half siblingship and full siblingship tests. For more information about these testing options, please visit our Siblingship DNA Testing page.

DDC laboratory director Dr. Michael Baird announced the results of the highly contested paternity test in Bahamian court proceedings yesterday. With odds paternity of over 11,500,000 to one, Larry Birkhead is considered the biological father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn.

DDC was contracted by Birkhead’s legal team shortly after the birth of Dannielynn. His team selected DDC based on our excellent track record of offering high quality DNA testing and our commitment to client record confidentiality. DDC has worked with many high profile cases before, but this is the first we have been able to discuss.

“DDC maintains strict operating standards that ensure our client’s confidentiality with each case,” DDC spokesperson Jim Hanigan says. “It’s very rare that we are able to talk about a case, which is a personal matter for many. We’re only able to talk about this case now because of how it played out in the media.”

Named as the Bahamian courtroom DNA expert, Dr. Baird was unable to comment on this paternity case until Tuesday, despite numerous media requests.

Dr. Baird is not new to the media. One of his TV appearances was during the OJ Simpson trial, when he served a media consultant for NBC. He is also often called upon in court to testify as a DNA testing expert.

DDC offers a full menu of DNA testing services, including paternity and family relationship testing. As the world’s largest provider of private paternity tests, we have performed over 850,000 DNA tests in its 12 years of operation.

To learn more about DDC and our services, visit our website at http://www.dnadiagnosticscenter.com. You can also learn more about our involvement in the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case at http://www.dnadiagnosticscenter.com/media/anna-nicole-dna-test.html.

Recently, one of our readers asked if our DNA testing services are only for people who need their test results for legal purposes (such as obtaining child support). The answer to this question is no, they are not. How you use your test results—for your own peace of mind or for legal purposes—is entirely up to you. Our role is to provide the expert DNA testing that will help you find the answers you’ve been looking for.

As an AABB-accredited laboratory, DDC strictly follows the chain of custody documentation procedure. This procedure verifies that the DNA samples were collected from the proper individuals and were not tampered with. In doing so, it assures you, as well as any courts or government agencies, that the test results can be trusted. By following the chain of custody procedure, we help ensure that our DNA test results will be legally defensible—in case you need to use them for legal purposes (now or in the future).

Even if your reason for needing a DNA test is strictly personal and you don’t anticipate a legal use for the results, we still invite you to choose DDC as your DNA testing laboratory. We offer a number of benefits to our clients, making us the most trusted paternity laboratory in the world. For more information about any of our DNA testing services, please call us at 1-800-882-8677.

There are two main types of paternity tests available today: legal tests and in-home tests. How do you know which option is right for you?

The difference between legal and in-home DNA paternity testing is the chain of custody procedure. Legal paternity testing follows the chain of custody procedure, while in-home testing does not.

With legal testing, a neutral third party (e.g., a clinic) collects the DNA samples after properly identifying each patient. This helps assure the tested parties, as well as any court or government officials, that the appropriate individuals were tested. With in-home testing, the patient collects his or her own samples at home; the true origin of the samples cannot be verified by a court or government official.

For DNA test results to be admissible in courts of law and other government agencies, the chain of custody process must be followed. So, to choose between legal and in-home testing, consider your reason for needing a paternity test.

• If you need a paternity test for any legal purpose—such as for child support or child custody claims—you must choose a legal test.
• If you need the test results for peace of mind but don’t intend to use them for legal purposes, you can choose either testing option. However, keep in mind that while you may not need legally defensible test results now, you may need them in the future.

For more information about legal paternity testing, please visit our Paternity Test page or call 1-800-882-8677. For more information about in-home testing, please visit our In-Home Paternity Testing page.

If you’ve been researching your paternity testing options, you may have come across the unfamiliar term chain of custody. Here’s what it means.

Chain of custody is a process that must be followed for the results of a paternity test to be legally defensible (acceptable to courts and government agencies). It involves these main elements:

• The sample collector properly identifies the tested parties when they arrive at their sample collection appointment. He or she verifies and photocopies their government-issued IDs and takes their thumbprints.
• The sample collector is a neutral party who has no personal interest in the test results (e.g., a hospital, clinic, or laboratory staff person).
• The sample collector tamper-tapes and securely packages the samples at the collection site. When the samples arrive at the laboratory, they are closely inspected for evidence of tampering.

The chain of custody process is what distinguishes a legally defensible paternity test (e.g., DDC’s paternity test) from what is commonly called an in-home paternity test (where the tested parties collect their own samples). Individuals who plan to use their paternity test results for legal purposes—such as child support, immigration, or Social Security benefit claims—need to take a paternity test that follows the chain of custody process.

For more information about DDC’s legal paternity test, please visit our Paternity Test page or call 1-800-882-8677.

There are two types of paternity tests available. Based on your particular needs, you can choose either legal or in-home paternity testing. The main difference between the two is chain of custody. A legal test is done using a chain of custody process, which makes the results a legal piece of evidence to be accepted by court and other government agencies. For example, if you need a paternity test to claim custody, child support or inheritance rights, you will need a legal paternity test. On the other hand, if you just need to know for your peace of mind or don’t want to disturb your family before knowing the results, you may choose a in-home paternity test. The majority of tests done in the U.S. are legal tests. At some point, a lot of people will need to use the results as a piece of legal evidence. For legal testing, DNA Diagnostics is the most trusted and reliable laboratory in the United States. You will know and agree when you call and get to talk to their knowledgable and caring case managers.

A chain of custody test requires proper documentation to prove to the courts that the persons who submitted the DNA samples were positively identified as the alleged father, child, or mother in a paternity test.

DDC follows a strict chain of custody, and we make sure that all the requirements are met. This way, test results are defensible in court.