Y-chromosomal analysis identifies the skeletal remains of Swiss national hero Jorg Jenatsch (1596-1639)

Jorg Jenatsch was a Swiss defender of independence and a fighter for liberty in the 17th century. With the help of three living male members of the Jenatsch family, we successfully identified a skeleton exhumed from Chur cathedral as the remains of Jorg Jenatsch. Our conclusion was based upon complete Y-STR and Y-SNP profiles that could be generated by replicate analyses of a bone sample available to us. The skeleton and the three living family members carried the same Y-SNP haplogroup, but were discordant at three of 23 Y-STR loci. This notwithstanding, conservative biostatistical evaluation of the data suggests that the Chur skeleton is at least 20 times more likely than not to be Jorg Jenatsch. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.