Top DNA Analyst Weighs in on Cold Case

Lynchburg, VA One of America's top DNA analysts talks about what it will take to solve the Lyon sisters' murders after nearly 40 years.

J. Thomas McClintock, Ph. D., is the Director of Forensic Science at Liberty University. Dr. McClintock was recently named one of the top 15 professors in DNA analysis by ForensicsColleges.com.

We asked Dr. McClintock to weigh in on the search of Taylor's Mountain in Bedford County. Investigators from Montgomery County, Maryland believe the remains of Katherine Lyon, 10, and Sheila Lyon, 12, could be on the mountain. The girls disappeared from a shopping mall in 1975.

Dr. McClintock said if search teams find any bones on the mountain DNA can still be extracted from the bones, to determine if they are the sisters' remains.

"If DNA is available for testing from the bones then you can generate what's called a mitochondrial DNA profile, and then with that you can link that profile to the mother of the children, said McClintock.

The girls' mother is still alive, so police will be able to get DNA a sample from her.

McClintock said the larger bones in our bodies are the best source for DNA. He said environmental factors that would degrade the bones would also degrade the DNA.

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Top DNA Analyst Weighs in on Cold Case