12-09-2016, 12:47 PM
Can Familial DNA help find Karina Vetrano's killer?
Investigators developed a DNA profile of the killer from material found under Vetrano's fingernails, on her neck and on her phone, but it did not match anyone in law enforcement DNA databases.
The hunt for Karina Vetrano's killer has been big news in New York ever since her body was discovered in August.
NYPD detectives want to use a new technique - looking for his relatives, using DNA, but are in danger of stirring up a hornet's nest of civil liberties concerns.
The technique, known as familial DNA searching, has made inroads in several states and in Britain and other European countries in the last decade.
New York state officials will meet today to discuss whether to introduce it, after a request from prosecutors as hopes of catching the killer with traditional methods start to fade.
Detectives chased 85 tips, interviewed runners, looked for clues in Vetrano's personal life and examined surveillance video and even panhandling reports.
Vetrano's family, desperate for justice, are pressing for the technique to be used.
______________________________________________
I understand the civil liberties and privacy concerns, but I'm all for the use of familial DNA to help solve crimes.
Cases where DNA was found on the victim or at the scene that doesn't match to any DNA in the criminal database have already been solved in states and countries that allow investigators to search data-banks for DNA of suspects' relatives.
Investigators developed a DNA profile of the killer from material found under Vetrano's fingernails, on her neck and on her phone, but it did not match anyone in law enforcement DNA databases.
The hunt for Karina Vetrano's killer has been big news in New York ever since her body was discovered in August.
NYPD detectives want to use a new technique - looking for his relatives, using DNA, but are in danger of stirring up a hornet's nest of civil liberties concerns.
The technique, known as familial DNA searching, has made inroads in several states and in Britain and other European countries in the last decade.
New York state officials will meet today to discuss whether to introduce it, after a request from prosecutors as hopes of catching the killer with traditional methods start to fade.
Detectives chased 85 tips, interviewed runners, looked for clues in Vetrano's personal life and examined surveillance video and even panhandling reports.
Vetrano's family, desperate for justice, are pressing for the technique to be used.
______________________________________________
I understand the civil liberties and privacy concerns, but I'm all for the use of familial DNA to help solve crimes.
Cases where DNA was found on the victim or at the scene that doesn't match to any DNA in the criminal database have already been solved in states and countries that allow investigators to search data-banks for DNA of suspects' relatives.