The following interview was conducted by Sue Herricks, a biology teacher employed by the Champaign School District, at the University of Washington Health Sciences Building on July 20, 2001. The focus of the interview was DNA analysis, the current situation in Argentina, and personal impacts of involvement in efforts regarding the Disappeared.
Herricks: Dr. Owens, what is your role in working with the Disappeared of Argentina?
Dr. Owens: I deal with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA matching.
Herricks: How did you get involved in these efforts?
Dr. Owens: I joined the lab after teaching with Dr. King, and then took over the mtDNA and autosomal DNA testing.
Herricks: What is the current status of your efforts, as well as those of others, in the Disappeared situation?
Dr. Owens: There are still active cases from the Disappeared. For example, this week's work has been devoted only to the mtDNA and autosomal DNA analysis.
Herricks: What is the current situation in Argentina? How are efforts involving the Disappeared regarded in Argentina?
Dr. Owens: With the matching of over 160(?) children with their maternal grandparents, I believe that the continuing publicity encourages from people who have concerns about their past to come forward. A small minority of parents who adopted the Disappeared children truly did not know about the history involving the child's family. On the other hand, many of the families who adopted these children were well aware of what happened to the children's parents, and in some cases even caused the death of these adults. Some families still fear repercussions and are not offering their adopted child for testing.
Herricks: Who is heading up the Argentine efforts?
Dr. Owens: Grandmothers groups are the ones still doing most of the detective work. All to their credit. They have take down extensive family histories.
Herricks: What would be the procedure for a person who believes themself to be one of the children of the Disappeared?
Dr. Owens: Blood samples are taken from the child wanting to know or has a questionable history. The samples are sent to my lab, where the mtDNA is sequenced, and then if necessary, autosomal DNA testing is performed. The turn around time is about one month. Testing has also been done on clothing in grave sites to determine parentage. In this case, the child was missing and only clothing was found. It is assumed that the child is still alive. The number of blood samples being analyzed is diminishing, partially because the initial first wave of families have submitted their samples, and (financial?) support has now diminished. Also, parents who are aware of their child's background are afraid or embarrassed to say anything.
Herricks: Is your lab involved in the analysis of samples from other parts of the world where atrocities have taken place?
Dr. Owens: Yes, other sites currently submitting samples to the lab for identification purposes are El Salvador (the Pro-busquedas with help from the Jesuits), Guatemala (finding and working the mass grave sites) and Bosnia (victim identification).
Herricks: Are any other laboratories in the US involved in these efforts?
Dr. Owens: No other site in the US is helping with this victim identification. The difference between identification cases in the US and other parts of the world is that usually in the US, other means for identification can be used (e.g. Y chromosome and autosomal analysis) because one or more of the parents are here in the country.
Herricks: Are there any particular technological or analytic issues you encounter in your work?
Dr. Owens: One is the existence of nuclear markers, or allele frequencies, which identify a population. Variations changes the probability or likelihood of inclusion or exclusion of an individual within a larger sample. For example, a person in South America and a person in Europe have the same allele make-up. Is it a random chance of matching, a mistake in the lab or a true match. Also, certain populations have different markers - how is that to be interpreted?
Herricks: How has this work affected you personally?
Dr. Owens: It affects one's perception of the world. The world is a small place and we need to watch our neighbors. It is a positive thing to see that you can do something despite the horrible events. People are resilient and can have a huge impact on our lives.
