But, sometimes, investigators don't really know who they're searching for and don't have a warrant. Consumer database searches are generally reserved for hard-to-solve, violent crimes, often cold cases. One of the go-to private contractors says they've now worked with agencies in 47 states. And there's a lot of interest in this technology. The Department of Justice has put out guidance on how officers should use genetic genealogy, but it's just that - guidance. But after advocates pushed back, he's seeking a compromise.ĬHARLES SYDNOR: Right now, it's like the wild, Wild West, where people are just kind of doing what they do because there are no rules. Charles Sydnor is a state senator in Maryland, one of a handful of states considering restricting police access to consumer DNA databases. But using genetic genealogy is controversial. PAYNE: Last month, a jury convicted Burns of first-degree murder based on the DNA evidence. MATT DENLINGER: Did you murder someone that night, Jerry? Officer Matt Denlinger went there to question Burns in the city where he'd lived his whole life just an hour from the crime scene. For 64-year-old Jerry Burns, it was a straw he used at a pizza restaurant in Manchester, Iowa. And officers began the tedious task of tracking them down, secretly following the men, waiting for them to throw away something they could test for DNA. From there, they built a family tree of potential suspects. It's kind of like 23andMe or and a favorite of people looking for long-lost relatives.Īnd investigators got a hit - a distant cousin living in Washington State. With the help of a private genetics firm, officers uploaded the suspect's DNA to a public genealogy website site called GEDMatch. Then in 2018, they heard about a new tool. They tested and retested DNA that the male suspect left at the crime scene but never got a match in the FBI's database. And generations of police officers worked the case. There was no murder weapon and no clear motive.
She was stabbed to death in the parking lot.
And 18-year-old Michelle Martinko went to a mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to buy a winter coat. KATE PAYNE, BYLINE: It was 1979, the week before Christmas.
Iowa Public Radio's Kate Payne reports it's raising questions about ethics and legality. Now there is a conviction thanks to a family genealogy website. A murder in Iowa more than 40 years ago went unsolved for decades.
0 kommentar(er)
