No-Suspect Forensic Casework: A one in five hit rate!
Todd Bille1, M.S., Paul Misner1, Jan Sheldon, M.S., Kelly Viet, B.S., Nathan Bruesehoff, B.S.; Amy L. Palm, B.A.2, Katie Woodard, B.S., Anne G. Pace2, B.S., Howard C. Coleman2, B.S., B.A; Bob Masterson2, Ph.D., and Teresa H. Aulinskas2, Ph.D.
1Indiana State Patrol, 8500 E. 21st St., Indianapolis, IN 46219 and
2GeneLex Corporation, 2203 Airport Way South, Seattle WA 98134, 800 523-6487
The Indiana State Police Crime Laboratory and Genelex Corporation have formed a partnership to build a database of convicted felon DNA profiles and to analyze forensic casework evidence samples recovered from old and new crime scenes in which there is no suspect. DNA analysis was performed on samples using the core CODIS STR loci analyzed by Promega PowerPlex multiplex technology in combination with the Hitachi FMBIO Fluorescent Scanner.
The Indiana State Police Laboratory, in conjunction with the Indianapolis Marion County Forensic Science Agency, have screened evidence from approximately one hundred unsolved sexual assault, sexual assault /homicide and burglary cases. Cases were examined using body fluid identification testing methods and then profiled by DNA STR analysis. Sexual assault evidence samples which exhibited low sperm count were processed by the Indiana State Police Laboratory and evidence samples which exhibited high sperm count were sent to Genelex for DNA analysis. Cases in which the original suspect had been eliminated by DNA analysis were also run against the CODIS database.
As of June 2000, eighteen "cold hits" had been made between DNA profiles derived from no-suspect evidence samples and convicted offender database samples. This represents an approximate one in five hit rate from less than one hundred no-suspect forensic cases. Of the hits obtained, nine were from sexual assault cases, three from homicide cases and six from burglaries.
Five of the sexual assault cases were linked to persons previously convicted of nonsexual violent crimes. In this case, the category nonsexual violent crime included homicide, assault and battery, kidnapping, confinement, and robbery. Significantly, three of the sexual assault cases were tied to one offender, originally convicted of a nonsexual violent crime. Two of the three homicides also involved sexual assault. The DNA profile obtained from the semen in these cases was used to link the suspect with the homicide. Several of the hits from burglary cases were linked to offenders previously convicted of burglary. However, one sexual assault case and one sexual assault /homicide case were also linked to persons previously convicted of burglary.
The extremely high rate of matches between CODIS database samples and no-suspect crime scene evidence samples validates the importance of both of these projects. Due to the potential of identifying suspects from older unsolved cases, the Indiana State Police is backing legislation to extend or negate the statute of limitations for sexual assaults at a minimum. The data justifies the collection of samples from persons convicted not only of sexual assaults, but also of violent crime and of lesser crimes such as burglary.
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