DNA technology is evolving rapidly and many states are considering whether to expand DNA databases or invest in DNA casework investigations. In order to inform the discussion of these issues, NIJ commissioned an independent study to ascertain the size of and reasons for the nation's backlog of DNA evidence. The resulting report included the list of cases presented here. This list of cases is not exhaustive, does not identify the perpetrator or victim, and is not a reflection on the criminal justice agencies involved. These cases would remain unsolved if not for extraordinary detective work by dedicated criminal justice professionals in these agencies.
Case studies presented on this site are from an NIJ-funded independent study. Points of view or opinions in the resulting report are those of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.
ONE PREVENTABLE RAPE
In early April of 2002 a man who was hired for yard work at a Columbus residence returned in the evening and burglarized the home where he had worked. In gaining entry, the burglar left blood that was collected and analyzed for DNA. The man had given the owner of the home a fictitious name and false credentials. However, through diligent detective work investigators assigned to the case identified a possible suspect and requested a DNA sample from him. The suspect complied with the request and the police returned to arrest the suspect in question after DNA forensic analysis matched the suspect's DNA and the DNA collected at the scene of the crime. Unfortunately, the suspect had disappeared in the interim.
In mid May of 2002, the offender in question raped a young girl who was able identify him. Investigators arrested him and found that his fingerprints matched felony prints on file noting that he was wanted in the April burglary. DNA testing subsequently confirmed that the suspect in question raped the young girl, and that he was the missing suspect in the home burglary.
Preventable Crime: The perpetrator in this case had a prior conviction in 1996 on felony drug trafficking and drug conspiracy charges. If the state of Ohio had required DNA from convicted felony drug offenders, police could have arrested this man after the burglary offense rather than asking him for a DNA sample which prompted his disappearance. This offender would have been incarcerated for the burglary rather than being allowed to go into hiding, and the rape of a young girl could have been prevented.
TWO PREVENTABLE RAPES
Between 1993 and 1994, three rapes were committed by the same unknown perpetrator in the Hamilton County area. After the third rape, the victim was able to notify police officers promptly and they were able to apprehend a suspect in short order. DNA testing linked the suspect in question to all three rapes.
Preventable Crime: The perpetrator had a 1993 felony conviction for carrying a concealed weapon and served a sentence in state prison. He also had a 1984 conviction in California on felony sexual battery. If Ohio had required DNA from the 1993 concealed weapon conviction, the 1993 rape could have been solved, thereby preventing two subsequent rapes.
ONE PREVENTABLE RAPE, ONE PREVENTABLE PROPERTY CRIME
In 1999, two rapes occurred several months apart in nearby counties. Both rapes were linked through DNA, and the database was used to identify a suspect in 2001.
Preventable Crime: The perpetrator's criminal history includes a 1994 burglary for which he was required to give a DNA sample for the database. The DNA sample was collected in 1997, and he was released from prison in 1999 on "shock probation"—three months prior to the first rape. Unfortunately, the offender biological sample was in a backlog and remained unanalyzed until 2001 when the "cold hit" was made to both rapes. If not for the backlog, the man would have been identified and arrested as a suspect in the first rape, thereby preventing the subsequent rape. The offender in question was also convicted in late 1999 of a home burglary and theft of prescription drugs—another crime he would not have been free to commit if the DNA match had been made sooner.
NIJ Funded Study
The cases are from National Forensic DNA Study Report and were developed using basic assumptions. For a full discussion on the review methodology that led to the conclusions presented here, see Section VI. "Forensic DNA and Crime Prevention." The report and case studies were prepared by Smith Alling Lane in partnership with Washington State University through the support of a grant awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (Grant 2002-LT-BX-K 003). Points of view or opinions in this report are those of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.
