Ohio DNA expert to aid overseas case

FAIRBORN, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio DNA expert has been asked by the family of a British girl who disappeared during a vacation in Portugal to examine DNA evidence collected by a firm used by Portuguese authorities investigating the case.

Wright State biology professor Dan Krane is being retained by Peter Corrigan, attorney for Gerry and Kate McCann.

Krane plans to use a software program he and colleagues at the university invented to interpret automated DNA analysis generated by a crime lab.

Four-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared May 3 from a resort in Portugal where she was staying with her parents.

The McCanns have been named as suspects. The couple, both doctors, deny involvement in the disappearance and have led a high-profile international campaign to find their daughter.

Forensic tests conducted at a government laboratory in Britain found evidence indicating that DNA from the girl was in the trunk of a rental car the parents used after her May 3 disappearance.

However, Portugal’s national police chief, Alipio Ribeiro, said last week the tests on the car were not conclusive and that he expected the investigation to continue.