There are dozens, maybe hundreds of murder and rape cases out there where police have a DNA profile of the suspect, but he’s not in CODIS, the national DNA database of convicted felons. But people who commit these types of crimes often come from families where this sort of thing is prevalent. Enter familial DNA testing. It searches the databases for someone who may be closely related to the unknown suspect in the case being investigated.
Familial DNA searches let the detective know that the suspect is closely related to a person in CODIS. It’s a lead for investigators to follow. If they find a close hit, it’s up to them to figure out which relative is the suspect, and then that person’s DNA must be retrieved and compared to the profile recovered at the crime scene.
Claims that it is an invasion of privacy are bogus. First of all, the person whose DNA is being hit on is in CODIS because they have been convicted of a felony. Secondly, it doesn’t implicate them in the case being investigated; in fact it exonerates them completely. It only indicates that a close relative is likely the suspect.
Many families languish not knowing what happened to their loved ones, and knowing that no one has been held accountable.
It’s their turn for justice.
This is an article on point. Read it here.