INVESTIGATIVE GENEALOGY & SOLVING CRIMES

 I have recognized a desperate need for law enforcement agencies to utilize the skills of forensic genealogy in their methodology, especially in aiding criminal cold cases. Most agencies lack the very specific expertise, personnel, and/or funds to fill this position. I would like to change that. I would like to offer my forensic genealogy skills pro bono for a set period of time. This probationary period will prove how beneficial this position is and why this advancing branch of law investigation is a vital resource.

In the past three years, investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) has exploded in popularity with law enforcement. The immense success of this technique, which has already helped solve hundreds of cold cases, has led to a number of changes on the scientific, legislative, and policy fronts.

The recently passed “Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act of 2021” gives new hope to families. It states that “the head of an agency shall review the case file regarding a cold case murder upon written application by one designated person to determine if a full reinvestigation would result in either the identification of probative investigative leads or a likely perpetrator.”

 

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The Department of Justice unveiled its interim policy on forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) in November 2019. Prosecuting violent crimes is a Department priority for many reasons, including to ensure public safety and to bring justice and closure to victims and victims’ families,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “We cannot fulfill our mission if we cannot identify the perpetrators. Forensic genetic genealogy gets us that much closer to being able to solve the formerly unsolvable. But we must not prioritize this investigative advancement above our commitments to privacy and civil liberties; and that is why we have released our Interim Policy – to provide guidance on maintaining that crucial balance.”

The Department's policy, updated in 2021, is intended to strike a balance between the Department's unwavering dedication to preventing violent crimes and ensuring public safety and other crucial public interests, such as safeguarding everyone's civil liberties and privacy. The Department's Interim Policy on Forensic Genetic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Searching (available at www.justice.gov/forensics) gives law enforcement the first thorough instructions on how to use FGG in this manner. 

I would also like to make it very clear that I have the utmost respect for law enforcement, investigators, lab technicians, criminologists, and all of the many people that work in the criminal justice system. This proposal is in no way a negative response to how law enforcement has performed or will perform in the future. It is simply an introduction to a  very powerful tool that will help and how to utilize it. As Attorney General William P. Barr said  “There is no tougher job in America than serving as a law enforcement officer. This was true in the past, and it is even truer today. As you know better than anyone, the trials our country’s law enforcement officers encounter on a daily basis are complex, difficult, and wide-ranging.” 

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Colleen Fitzpatrick, president of Identifinders International LLC decided to launch an informal survey based on 100 cases solved with FGG. She sorted them into five categories:
 

1. Suspects with no known criminal history

2. Suspects who committed crimes that pre-date CODIS (Before 1995)

3. Suspects with non-felony offenses, traffic tickets, etc.

4. Suspects with felonies

5. Suspects known to have slipped through the cracks

Upon review, a minimum of 37% of cases in the first two categories would only be solvable by utilizing Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG). For cases in the last three categories, Fitzpatrick says many could have been solved through expanded DNA collection laws. She states that “still, some of them would need FGG to create an investigative lead—proven through the fact that all of these cases were ultimately solved by FGG.”

The system has already demonstrated its ability to distinguish between criminals with no prior history and those who broke the law before CODIS. Additionally, it can assist in locating witnesses from evidence left at crime scenes who are ineligible for CODIS upload, perhaps providing new investigation leads.