Genética forense na investigação criminal: o papel do biólogo na identificação humana por DNA uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Forensic genetics has established itself as an indispensable tool for contemporary criminal investigation, enabling human identification through the analysis of biological traces. Therefore, the objective of this research was to synthesize the scientific knowledge on the application of forensic genetics in criminal investigation, with emphasis on the role of the biologist in DNA analysis for human identification. This is an integrative literature review, developed from an electronic search in the PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases, covering the time frame from 2020 to 2026. A total of 127 studies were selected and submitted to thematic content analysis and descriptive bibliometric analysis. The results showed that autosomal Short Tandem Repeat markers predominate in routine forensic practice, while complementary techniques, such as mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome STRs, prove to be essential for degraded samples and sexual crimes. The forensic biologist acts in all stages of the chain of custody, from the careful collection of traces to statistical interpretation and the communication of results in court. The main challenges identified include the interpretation of complex mixtures, the handling of degraded samples, the risks of cross-contamination, and the difficulty in translating statistical indices for the justice system. It is concluded that the ethical, impartial, and technically grounded performance of the forensic biologist constitutes an indispensable guarantee for the reliability of expert evidence