Lab Said “Too Many Contributors” - Can We Still Use the DNA?

Short answer

Yes, often. “Too many contributors” means there may be more contributors on the evidence item than the lab’s protocols can interpret. This conclusion does not always mean the evidence is unusable. It usually means the mixture needs more sophisticated interpretation. TrueAllele technology is validated for complex mixtures of up to 10 unknown contributors. The next step is to screen the same lab DNA data from the most probative items.

What to do next

1. Identify which evidence item has the highest value.
2. Confirm whether the report says too many contributors or too much overlap.
3. Request the required electronic DNA data files (.fsa or .hid).
4. Submit a Free TrueAllele^® Screening inquiry.
5. Use the screening result to decide whether a court-ready case report is worth pursuing.

What to send

• Please do not send biological evidence. The screening uses the lab’s autosomal STR electronic DNA data files (.fsa or .hid).

Please submit:

• For the key evidence items, the lab’s electronic data (.fsa or .hid)
• For reference profiles (victim/elimination/POI), either allele lists or electronic data files
• Allelic ladder files for any electronic data
• Lab reports or other case documents
• Item ID list (which swabs/items the files belong to)
• A case submission form with case specific information and questions (e.g., compare to POI, interpret the inconclusive mixture, compare items, etc.)

For more information on what to request from the lab, see the Sending Cases for TrueAllele Processing page.

Ready to Submit?

Tell us about your case. We’ll review it and tell you if we can get more information from the DNA data.

Free Screening

We don’t retest physical evidence items. We interpret the electronic DNA data a lab already generated.