Analyzing degraded DNA and challenging samples using the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit

•For severely degraded DNA, 90% of CODIS loci were obtained with the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit.•For severely degraded DNA, 35% of CODIS loci were obtained with the PowerPlex® Fusion kit.•Locus drop-outs primarily affect loci with long amplicons and low read numbers.•The positive control (2800 M) does not always yield outcomes for all loci.•Spurious alleles were not sequencing artifacts, they may be obtained during library preparation.