Cold cases being solved through genealogical DNA

Pea-n-Me

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
There have been a number of cases now where detectives have been able to track often long-sought-after suspects using DNA submitted by relatives to genealogical sites like Ancestry.com

The latest is from Newport Beach, CA

https://patch.com/california/newportbeach/arrest-made-linda-okeefe-cold-case-murder

I wonder how many people are out there worrying about their own relatives submitting DNA?

There are also some legal-ethical issues involved when police obtain DNA from identified suspects to verify, which I thought might be interesting to discuss. (And admittedly I don't know a lot about it.)

I am happy for families and friends of victims who can finally have closure in these cases. Many of us probably know of cases that have been unsolved for many years! For some here, it may even be more close to home.
 
There have been a number of cases now where detectives have been able to track often long-sought-after suspects using DNA submitted by relatives to genealogical sites like Ancestry.com

The latest is from Newport Beach, CA

https://patch.com/california/newportbeach/arrest-made-linda-okeefe-cold-case-murder

I wonder how many people are out there worrying about their own relatives submitting DNA?

There are also some legal-ethical issues involved when police obtain DNA from identified suspects to verify, which I thought might be interesting to discuss. (And admittedly I don't know a lot about it.)

I am happy for families and friends of victims who can finally have closure in these cases. Many of us probably know of cases that have been unsolved for many years! For some here, it may even be more close to home.

DH and I haven't done any of them because you never know what will ultimately happen with your DNA. I'm not worried since we haven't committed any crimes, but its been very interesting to see all the cold cases that have been solved.
 
I think it is amazing!

Personally, I see nothing ethically wrong with it. The relatives are posting their DNA results publicly on the internet! The info is readily available for anyone to access.

It is getting more difficult every day for evil people to commit these horrible crimes and get away with it, thanks to modern technology. Perhaps it will even prevent crimes in the future, if these people know there is a good chance they will get caught.
 
I find it interesting that the article uses the word recovered and not obtained to refer to the comparison DNA sample from Neal. That doesn't sound like they procured a DNA sample from him directly, either through voluntary means or a court order requiring him to submit to providing a DNA sample for comparison to whatever DNA they had from the crime scene years ago. I'll be interested to see how they can directly tie the comparison DNA sample to Neal in court -- and how they recovered it in such a way as to be confident enough it can withstand legal challenges.

It's also super interesting that they will not speak to his marital status or whether or not he has children because it may be material to the case.
 


DH and I did our DNA with ancestry a couple of years ago. Our 4 kids wanted to do the same as they have a great grandfather from the Philippines and wanted to know how much Asian dna they inherited. They got kits for Christmas and have just gotten their results in.

I've recently thought "Oops, hope they never commit a crime." As it would be easy to track them.

BTW our blonde haired blue eyed kids inherited the most Asian DNA. That has been very interesting to find out. Only if you know that DH has a grandfather from the Philippines then you can pick out a couple of vague features. We have 4 kids and our kid with the darkest hair and complexion has the least Asian DNA. It's fascinating stuff to us.
 
I think it is amazing!

Personally, I see nothing ethically wrong with it. The relatives are posting their DNA results publicly on the internet! The info is readily available for anyone to access.

It is getting more difficult every day for evil people to commit these horrible crimes and get away with it, thanks to modern technology. Perhaps it will even prevent crimes in the future, if these people know there is a good chance they will get caught.
I was talking about when the police have to obtain a sample from the suspect after they've had a hit on the genealogical DNA. I've read where sometimes they take something out of their trash that has their DNA on it, things like that.
 
I find it interesting that the article uses the word recovered and not obtained to refer to the comparison DNA sample from Neal. That doesn't sound like they procured a DNA sample from him directly, either through voluntary means or a court order requiring him to submit to providing a DNA sample for comparison to whatever DNA they had from the crime scene years ago. I'll be interested to see how they can directly tie the comparison DNA sample to Neal in court -- and how they recovered it in such a way as to be confident enough it can withstand legal challenges.

I have heard of DNA samples being obtained through discarded drinks or cigarettes.
 


I was talking about when the police have to obtain a sample from the suspect after they've had a hit on the genealogical DNA. I've read where sometimes they take something out of their trash that has their DNA on it, things like that.

Ahhh...yes. I understand now (I was actually replying about that in another post!)

Personally, I see nothing ethically wrong with that either. They are leaving their DNA in a public place that is accessible to anyone. If they are innocent, they have nothing to worry about (DNA evidence is just as good for clearing the innocent as it is for convicting the guilty!)
 
I was talking about when the police have to obtain a sample from the suspect after they've had a hit on the genealogical DNA. I've read where sometimes they take something out of their trash that has their DNA on it, things like that.

I have heard of DNA samples being obtained through discarded drinks or cigarettes.

Ahhh...yes. I understand now (I was actually replying about that in another post!)

Personally, I see nothing ethically wrong with that either. They are leaving their DNA in a public place that is accessible to anyone. If they are innocent, they have nothing to worry about (DNA evidence is just as good for clearing the innocent as it is for convicting the guilty!)

I've heard of that, but I've never personally seen that happen in a case IRL. I'm not saying it doesn't/can't/hasn't happened. I've seen plenty of battles to obtain/deny a court order for a DNA sample directly from a suspect by a lab tech under LE supervision. I know those battles are so hard fought because the prosecution want to be able to present the clearest, most straightforward evidence they can to a jury and they're well aware of how many ways the defense is going to tear into a sample where they can even suggest a scintilla of a chink in the chain of evidence.

There is nothing ethically or legally wrong with using a DNA sample left in a public place. The difficulty comes in proving absolutely to a jury there is no reasonable doubt as to the source.

If the wording in the article quoted in this thread is purposeful and meaningful and not simply awkward phrasing, my suspicion is that somehow they have been able to legally obtain a DNA sample from Neal without his knowledge through a medical source. How that would be possible given the tremendous legal obstacles that the medical aspect would add I can't even begin to guess, but that is what the wording of the article leads me to believe.
 
I have heard of DNA samples being obtained through discarded drinks or cigarettes.

I don't know if it was this case or another one, but after they suspected the guy, I think they followed him and got discarded napkin from a hockey game he was at.
 
There is nothing ethically or legally wrong with using a DNA sample left in a public place. The difficulty comes in proving absolutely to a jury there is no reasonable doubt as to the source.

Would the results of the publicly-obtained sample be enough for a judge to issue a court order to a direct DNA sample?
 
I am not doing a DNA panel because of the privacy implication. I would only do a DNA kit if the results were fully anonymous and since they are obviously tying these results back to real people that isn't the case. No way in a million years am I providing DNA that is accessible to anyone besides me including law enforcement. My privacy is more important than any unsolved case, full stop.
 
Then they(courts) will have to get a DNA sample with a proper chain of custody, which they will get a warrant to do so.
 
Would the results of the publicly-obtained sample be enough for a judge to issue a court order to a direct DNA sample?

Potentially it could. Many things could impact that decision one way or another. It literally could boil down to who's wearing the robe. It's feasible the same judge could deny a request for a court order in one case one day and authorize a court order in another case the very next day. Most of the time it will boil down to other material facts that can be presented along with results of a publicly-obtained sample to demonstrate strong probable cause.

ETA You also cannot overlook the skill, ferocity and merit of the defense arguments. We can't value our rights and our justice system and ignore the defense side.
 
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Another news source says that the DNA was taken from Linda O’Keefe's body. I'm assuming it's sperm.
 
I don't know if it was this case or another one, but after they suspected the guy, I think they followed him and got discarded napkin from a hockey game he was at.

https://pix11.com/2019/02/19/he-thr...lice-used-it-to-arrest-him-for-a-1993-murder/

Investigators say 52-year-old Jerry Westrom was identified as a suspect after a close match to DNA found at the 1993 crime scene was discovered on a genealogy website, the Pioneer Press reports.

Investigators followed him to a hockey game earlier this year. They watched him eat a hot dog, wipe his mouth with a napkin, and throw it away.

Authorities say DNA on the retrieved napkin matched that from the murder of Minneapolis sex worker Jeanne Ann Childs, as did a DNA sample taken from Westrom after his arrest. Westrom has been charged with second-degree murder.

“The process is similar to the one used in the Golden State Killer case,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says in a press release, adding: “When you discard a thing in the trash, the Supreme Court says it is fair game.”
 
They used DNA off of a door handle and from a tissue in the curbside garbage can to get DNA and catch the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer.
 
I also could swear I read that initial DNA was also taken from the trash in the Karina Vetrano case in Queens, NY. (I believe there was also some question about him submitting to serum testing in the trial, but I can't verify it right now - if anyone knows.)
 
Another news source says that the DNA was taken from Linda O’Keefe's body. I'm assuming it's sperm.

Possibly, but not absolutely. It's also quite probable they found skin cells under her fingernails.

The DNA referred to in the article as being recovered did not seem to refer to the DNA from the crime scene, rather DNA they somehow recovered from Neal. That's why I raised it as being unusual wording.
 
Cold case near me was just solved this way...https://www.goupstate.com/news/2019...-and-nc-identify-remains-of-woman-and-her-son

DH and I have done the Ancestry DNA. I don't like a 'big brother' having hold of any of my personal info but I really wanted to see our ancestry more. And I am glad these old cases are getting solved. It would suck to be a family member of a murdered or missing person who's case is cold. The not knowing. I once had a hot tub repaired and the older guy who came to repair it was the father of an unsolved murder victim and I heard it haunted him day and night and he didn't want to die until he knew who killed his daughter. Must be a horrible hand to be dealt.
 

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