The tech helping crack decades-old cold cases
Investigative genetic genealogy can help hunt down criminals but raises worries over privacy.
Decades-old cold cases, like that of Randy Gail Sperino who vanished in 1993, can now be cracked with the help of advanced technology in the field of forensic science. Othram, a Houston-based company, has developed a method called investigative genetic genealogy that has proven successful in identifying perpetrators of unsolved crimes.
This technique involves using genetic evidence from extended relatives of unknown individuals to identify a distant genetic match. The method was first used to solve the Golden State Killer case in 2018 and has since been applied to numerous other cold cases around the world. In the case of Sperino's murder, Othram helped investigators identify a male family member of the killer, leading to the arrest of Albert "Buddy" Zigler, who confessed to the crime and was subsequently charged.
The technique has been highly successful in solving cases involving unidentified remains and identifying suspects in longstanding investigations. However, it is not without its limitations and ethical concerns. While the technique can identify distant genetic relatives, it cannot solve cases without DNA evidence, and there are concerns about privacy when using genetic data from consented individuals.
Despite these challenges, the technique has been adopted in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Australia, but not yet in the UK. The UK's Home Office is considering its adoption through a study, but no decision has been made yet.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
