DNA Ancestry and Criminal Investigation
Posted on: September 6, 2018 | Posted by: Jarrett P. Ambeau | Comments: No Comments
Some criminal investigators are now mining DNA data collected through genealogy websites to solve criminal cold cases. This article states that Darold Wayne Bowden was arrested for a series of rapes that happened over a decade ago. Agencies are sending unknown DNA samples to a company based out of Virginia, the samples are then entered into an independent database called GEDmatch. It is then compared to the DNA that is voluntarily uploaded by individuals and matched with people who share segments of identical DNA. The company is then able to “construct a family tree to narrow down their search.”
This is also how the Golden State Killer was allegedly identified and arrested after murdering 13 men and women over 30 years ago.
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Frequently Asked Questions about DNA Evidence and Legal Representation
What is investigative genetic genealogy (IGG)?
Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), also called forensic genetic genealogy, is when law enforcement uses public genealogy DNA databases and traditional genealogical research to find crime suspects via shared DNA with distant relatives.
How does law enforcement use ancestry DNA in criminal cases?
Investigators extract a DNA profile from a crime scene, generate a SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) profile, and then compare it with profiles in commercial DNA databases.
Through shared genetic data, genealogists build family trees and narrow down possible suspects, after which standard DNA matching is done for confirmation.
What are the benefits and risks of using ancestry DNA for investigations?
This technique can solve cold cases and identify previously unknown suspects, but it raises serious privacy and ethical questions because it may involve distant relatives who never consented to law enforcement use.
About the Author
Jarrett P. Ambeau
Jarrett P. Ambeau Criminal Defense Attorney in Baton Rouge | Expert in Forensic DNA Interpretation Jarrett Ambeau is a highly respected criminal defense attorney based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the founder of The Ambeau Law Firm. With over 14 years of experience and more than 50 felony jury trials to verdict, Jarrett has...