FIGGsolver: An Interactive Algorithm that Guides the Genealogy Process in Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy

The genealogy process is a key bottleneck within forensic investigative genetic genealogy, which is a novel approach to solving violent crimes and identifying human remains. Building on our earlier work, we develop FIGGsolver: an interactive algorithm that guides the genealogist through the tree-building process by specifying precise actions for the genealogist to take at each point in time. The algorithm has been used to solve actual cases and plans are underway to make FIGGsolver widely available to the forensic investigative genetic genealogy community. We describe the algorithm in non-mathematical terms and collect insights gathered from its construction and use.