DNA Confirms Remains Of Czar's Children

Bone Fragments Exhumed In Woods Settle Mystery of Royal Family Members Who Disappeared

(AP)  DNA tests performed by a U.S. laboratory have proved that bone fragments exhumed in the Ural Mountains belong to two children of Russia's last czar, Russian news agencies reported Wednesday.

Eduard Rossel, governor of the Sverdlovsk region, told a news conference that the fragments, dug up last year near the city Yekaterinburg, were indeed those of Crown Prince Alexei and his sister, Maria.

"The main genetic laboratory in the United States has concluded its work with a full confirmation," Rossel was quoted by RIA-Novosti and Interfax as saying. "We have now found the entire family."

Researchers dug up the bone shards near the place where Bolsheviks executed Czar Nicholas II, his family and several servants in 1918.

After genetic tests convinced forensics experts of their authenticity, they were buried in 1998 in a cathedral in the imperial capital of St. Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas and his family in 2000, though expressed persistent doubts that the remains were indeed those of the czar's family.

The remains of Alexei and Maria, however, had never been located, leading to decades of speculation that perhaps one or both had survived.

Neither Interfax nor RIA-Novosti indicated which laboratory Rossel was referring to, but a genetic research team working at the University of Massachusetts Medical School had been involved in the process.

[jetlizhan]

so how did they die?

[bohemianmob]

so how did they die?

Posted by jetlizhan

lead poisoning.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by dragonwagon5


good one!

[culturechang]

So is Alexia the same as Anastasia? I thought Anastasia was the big controversy.

[beccangel]

They were executed by a fireing squad at the order of the revolutionary government.
Anastasia was the big controversy, only because a woman claimed to be her. This was before they found any of the bodies. The bodies were not found until after she passed away of natural causes. When the bodies were found and one of the girls was missing (Maria), hopefulls and romantics wanted it to be Anastasia. But age tests proved that the younger one was found, and DNA tests with Prince Phillip (Duke of Edinborough, Hubby of Queen Elizabeth II) proved that these were the bodies and the remains of the woman claiming to be the lost princess were not a match.

[scully152]

So is Alexia the same as Anastasia? I thought Anastasia was the big controversy. Posted by CultureChang

Alexei (not Alexia) and Maria were the two that were never found. I had always heard of Anastasia being the one missing. Maybe Maria was a nickname for Anastasia, I don''t know. But Alexei was the crown prince... not a female.

[jennmarie620]

I''m glad they finally found the last two children - perhaps now the entire Romanov family can rest in peace.

[sharayahlm]

It was never confirmed witch sister was missing. only that two were confirmed as Olga and Tatiana(the bones were both put in the age rang of 21-24 I think. and Olga was 22 and Tatiana 21 I think. the Last one I think is Maria. Because it was to tall to be Anastasia (who was the youngest, at 17) and was said to be 18-20 and Maria was 19 at her death. That''s why I think it was Alexei and Anastasia they found. and I''m so happy they did!!!

[cbsguest6]

On Wikipedia, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. You''ll find some good info on Anastasia Romanova.

[spy-vs-spy_]

This is a long saga of this family? The legend will always continue like the titanic? For more on the story go to shipwrecksoul.blogspot.com and leave a comment for this story?

[fpbroke]

Canonized?!?!? I seem to remember that it was their love for precious metals and jewel-encrusted objects, while working people starved and froze(along with some resentment for Rasputin''s hold on the Czarina) that brought about the Bolshevik revolution. Sainthood must come easily in Russia...

[jimmyc1955]

fpbroke - Wow - where did you get that piece of soviet era mis-information?

Yea - the Czar lived well but he have instituted massive reforms in many parts of the country and general living standards were rising.

WWI was a disaster for the Russians - unprepared and ill equipped they got their butts handed to them in a pretty horrible way by the Germans and Nicholi''s cousin the Kaiser. So millions of dead solders, hard winter - not enough food and a couple of guys that the Germans had fed and kept on the sidelines until the time was right - Valdemar Lenin specificially, was pushed back into Moscow to ensure the Bolsheviks kept the country busy.

I wonder if they had any idea what horrors they created when the Germans push Lenin back into Russia?

[inachu1]

Canonized?!?!? I seem to remember that it was their love for precious metals and jewel-encrusted objects, while working people starved and froze(along with some resentment for Rasputin''''s hold on the Czarina) that brought about the Bolshevik revolution. Sainthood must come easily in Russia...
-----------------------------------------
30,000,000 milllion christians died by the hand of russian jews.
The same can happen in the USA....someday.....

[romanovs-2009]

Ok, anyone who has actually got off of their posteriors and actually read a book on the remains and isn''t some idiosyncratic Anna Anderson supporter will have deduced that Anastasia is the missing daughter buried with Alexei--assuming you know how to use any intellect you might have. a) The body said to have been buried by Yurovsky (the executioner of the family), separately with Alexei was thought to be Anna Demidova-- the plump lady''s maid--Anastasia was about the same physical match to her at the time of her death (short, stout, plump)--Maria had thinned out and was tall. b)The original skeleton that was "Anastasia" had spinal fusions that only appear on adolescents older than 18-- Anastasia had only just turned 17 a month before her death whilst Maria was 19. c)All of the wounds inflicted on the body from the original grave correlate to those Maria is said--by eyewitnesses--to have suffered. d) All of the faces had been smashed in by rifle butts so no one could rightly identify the women from each other (hence Yurovsky identifying one of the girls as the maid).

I could go on but I think this is sufficient enough.

[cbsguest6]

Wow! I feel belittled and humilated after reading that post by Romanovs. And I don''t really support Anna Anderson''s claim that she made in life.

[hikinmike]

Wow! dmotte criticises for an article pertaining to history. Another call for American ignorance. One can only hope dmotte is not a voter.

[gaye5]

Did they ever do a DNA on that woman who unwaveringly said that she was one of the surviving children???

[cbsguest6]

Yes they did, and if you scroll to one of my past posts on here you can get all the info at Wikipedia.

[vashka-2009]

I am surprised by reading some of these comments, they are so harsh and cruel to the murdered family! To clear up the "Anastasia" story let me say yes it was Anastasia whom Anna Anderson claimed to be. DNA tests proved her a fraud in 1994. Now these new tests are on the last 2 bodies found that had been missing proving all the kids have now been found and nobody got away. Alexei was the Tsar''s only son. Marie was the third daughter, Anastasia the fourth. The Russian scientists believed Marie was missing, but the Americans believe it was Anastasia for all the reasons mentioned in the post by "Romanovs." That person is right about all the things they said in their post.al But Anastasia is not missing anymore because all the bodies have now been found and identified with DNA.

[vashka-2009]

I am surprised by reading some of these comments, they are so harsh and cruel to the murdered family! To clear up the "Anastasia" story let me say yes it was Anastasia whom Anna Anderson claimed to be. DNA tests proved her a fraud in 1994. Now these new tests are on the last 2 bodies found that had been missing proving all the kids have now been found and nobody got away. Alexei was the Tsar''s only son. Marie was the third daughter, Anastasia the fourth. The Russian scientists believed Marie was missing, but the Americans believe it was Anastasia for all the reasons mentioned in the post by "Romanovs." That person is right about all the things they said in their post.al But Anastasia is not missing anymore because all the bodies have now been found and identified with DNA.

[vashka-2009]

I am surprised by reading some of these comments, they are so harsh and cruel to the murdered family! To clear up the "Anastasia" story let me say yes it was Anastasia whom Anna Anderson claimed to be. DNA tests proved her a fraud in 1994. Now these new tests are on the last 2 bodies found that had been missing proving all the kids have now been found and nobody got away. Alexei was the Tsar''s only son. Marie was the third daughter, Anastasia the fourth. The Russian scientists believed Marie was missing, but the Americans believe it was Anastasia for all the reasons mentioned in the post by "Romanovs." That person is right about all the things they said in their post.al But Anastasia is not missing anymore because all the bodies have now been found and identified with DNA.

[vashka-2009]

I am surprised by reading some of these comments, they are so harsh and cruel to the murdered family! To clear up the "Anastasia" story let me say yes it was Anastasia whom Anna Anderson claimed to be. DNA tests proved her a fraud in 1994. Now these new tests are on the last 2 bodies found that had been missing proving all the kids have now been found and nobody got away. Alexei was the Tsar''s only son. Marie was the third daughter, Anastasia the fourth. The Russian scientists believed Marie was missing, but the Americans believe it was Anastasia for all the reasons mentioned in the post by "Romanovs." That person is right about all the things they said in their post.al But Anastasia is not missing anymore because all the bodies have now been found and identified with DNA.

[cbsguest6]

Vashka you''re so nice:)

[cfigo]

The American maudlin fascination and near worship for this family and royals generally is laughable. Americans care more about American Idol and Dancing with the stars than they do about signing statements, domestic spying, trade imbalances, our sinking currency, $4.00 a gallon gasoline and our leaders ginning up a third war with Iran; not to mention a corporate media complicit in all of it. Drink your bud light and watch your ball game then go back to sleep....enablers all.

[gaye5]

Thanks cbsguest6 ...and Vashka

[Meg003]

Cfigo, are you talking to yourself? Obviously, you read the article.

I think that people in America find the story of the family''s deaths riveting because of the lingering hope that some of the children survived. This seems to me to be a normal, natural tendency of a resilient people, to reach for hope instead of despair.

May we Americans continue to recover from our setbacks by striving for something better.