If no X-rays can be found, experts said the next step would be
DNA testing. In spite of the fire damage, there are a number of
ways DNA can be located on a body, Bernstein and Spitz said.
"The charring is only on the surface," unless an accelerant was
used or unless the body was subjected to "crematory-like
temperatures," causing it to disintegrate, Spitz said. DNA can
be extracted from the center of a tooth or from bone marrow,
Bernstein said. In addition, "the skull almost always stays, for
the most part, intact, leaving the brain in relatively good
shape," Spitz said. Internal organs sometimes are also present,
and blood can be drawn from them. If a person's DNA is not found
in national DNA databases, a source for comparison must be
found, he said. Authorities may obtain a sample from a person's
toothbrush or hairbrush, for instance, and tests may also be
done comparing blood samples from family members, although those
are more labor-intensive and time-consuming. But in most cases,
dental records are all t