California Today: How the Golden State Killer Suspect Was Caught

[Historic NY]

Investigators, it turned out, had used DNA from crime scenes that had been stored over the decades and plugged the genetic profile of the suspected assailant into an online genealogy database. Eventually, they traced the DNA to the suspect’s front door.

So they took the DNA they had and used it, beyond the normal place it parked at in the FBI Crime computers.

I'd say that was brilliant stroke, they expanded the chance of finding him or someone related that would lead to him.

Apparently its also not the first case either, that they have resorted to this.

[link:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/california-today-golden-state-killer-suspect.html|]

[link: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209834384.htmlhttp://|]

[link:http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dna-golden-state-killer-20180426-story.html|]

In 2008, California became the first state in the nation to adopt a familial DNA policy. Under the policy, familial DNA is only to be used as a "last resort" when all other investigative angles have been exhausted.

California Supreme Court lets stand controversial law allowing DNA collection upon arrest was just upheld on April 2, 2018.
[link:http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dna-supreme-court-20180402-story.html|]

NY has been collecting DNA for quite sometime and now collects it on almost all convictions.

http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/forensic/dnaoffenses.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dna-testing-golden-state-killer-case-raises-concerns-article-1.3958054

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. And it was damn smart of them to do that.

[bettyellen]

2. One of the victims brother lobbied heavily for this law. Its amazing that they can find

connections up to second cousins now.

[Historic NY]

3. I'm down to moderate to probably on 3-6ths....