DNA tests may solve mystery of last czar’s heirs

Nevertheless, the church canonized the royal family in 2000.

Rogaev, who was called to help verify the remains' authenticity in 1997 and 1998, said he knows many people with opinions on both sides. He compares it to the emotions that Americans have about their legendary public figures and families, such as the Kennedys, and says the DNA tests are the best way to be certain about the Romanovs' fate.

"In science, what you conclude to be true comes from the results you find. When I see the results, I accept the results as the fact," he said.

No clear explanation exists about why the suspected remains of the prince and one of his sisters were destroyed with more violence than those of the czar, empress and three of their daughters.

Some researchers think that after shooting the family, the killers tried to destroy as much of their remains as possible, but ran out of time after starting to destroy two of the smallest bodies with fire and sulfuric acid. Some have said the killers thought monarchists might try to memorialize the burial place as a shrine if the bodies' locations were known.

The bone fragments were so badly damaged that Rogaev and other researchers first had to determine whether enough uncontaminated genetic material still existed for testing.

The delicate work proved that, indeed, useful DNA could be extracted from a very small amount of the material — a critical fact, since they wanted to preserve as much of the bone fragments as possible out of respect for the victims.

The researchers are comparing DNA from the recently discovered remains with those of Empress Alexandra, who was a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and a distant relative of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The prince, whose DNA might offer important points of reference for comparison, has not provided DNA so far, but researchers are reviewing published information related to the family, Evgeny said.

Renowned forensic scientist Henry Lee endorsed Rogaev's approach and called the case a prime example of science settling questions about the past.

"It's an interesting project, and DNA is opening up a lot of new frontiers in solving crime and answering questions of history," said Lee, a former Connecticut public safety commissioner and founder of the forensic science program at the University of New Haven.

A representative of the Romanovs urged caution after the remains were found last summer. They have tried without success for years to persuade Russian authorities to declare Nicholas and his family victims of political repression.

"I will be deeply happy if the remains of (Alexei) and Maria have really been found," Nikolai Romanov, identified by Channel One as the head of the family, told the station by telephone from Switzerland. "But it is always necessary to treat such epochal events with caution."

Associated Press writer Mike Eckel in Moscow contributed to this report.

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