Recently, The BFD reported how US detectives had used a genealogy website to catch a notorious serial-killer rapist who had escaped justice for decades.
In the case of the Golden State Killer, detectives created a profile on GEDmatch using DNA samples, held for years, from the criminal. From there, they were able to build up a family tree that led them straight to Joseph James DeAngelo Jr.
In the latest case, a rapist uploaded his own DNA to a geneaology website – and led police straight to his door.
In 2007, a young woman studying at the University of Tampa was sexually assaulted by a man who had offered to walk her home.
The assault – seemingly a random crime of opportunity – left police stumped. They collected DNA but didn’t find any matches.
And as the years passed, the case seemed colder than ever. But last year, police wondered if they could use a new tool in their toolkit to solve the crime.
In 2018, Florida became the first state to establish its own forensic genealogy unit. Within a year, DNA technology had helped police identify four suspects, and solve cases over a decade old.
Cases like the unsolved 2007 rape.
Looking to a 1998 kidnapping and sexual battery case that was solved by the unit, police put the FDLE Genetic Genealogy Investigations program on the 2007 rape, scouring genealogy sites like GEDmatch and FamilyTree.
Before long, they had a hit. A West Virginia man named Jared Vaughn had submitted his DNA to FamilyTree.
Tampa police tested Vaughn’s sample against the DNA originally collected at the crime scene: It was a one-in-700 billion match.
This is just one of dozens of cold cases across the US solved using forensic genealogy.
But the practice remains controversial. According to a recent survey, 48 percent of people said they thought it was OK for DNA sites to share their data with police. About a third saw the practice as unacceptable. And around 18 percent weren’t sure.
For police, however, DNA testing is a powerful new tool in their arsenal.
“I believe, 100 percent, that DNA is the greatest tool ever given to law enforcement to find the truth, whatever that is,” said Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County, California, district attorney. In fact, Schubert prosecuted DeAngelo, who was caught using the technology.
Given all the fuss made about wrongful convictions, surely such a precise forensic tool would be welcomed?
Forensic genealogy is far from replacing old-fashioned detective work but it is proving a valuable addition to the policing toolkit.
Police don’t have unlimited access to online DNA sites. Users must “opt-in for law enforcement matching.” However, since families share DNA, one person opting in can provide information about an entire family tree[…]
Despite the ongoing debate, police in Tampa Bay are satisfied with their recent success. And they hope to continue using DNA testing and genealogy sites to solve other cold cases.
All That’s Interesting
So, word to the wise criminal: don’t bother trying to find out if you’re one-sixteenth of some oppressed identity group.
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