Using DNA Evidence in Sexual Assault Kits to Identify Serial Sexual Offenders

• In Event: Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits: Research Informing Practice

Abstract

To inform policy and practice regarding rape kit testing, we tested a sample of 900 previously-unsubmitted SAKs from Detroit, Michigan, and documented the DNA forensic testing outcomes associated with those kits. We assessed how many SAKs yielded DNA profiles eligible for upload into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), the federal DNA criminal database; how many resulted in a DNA match (termed a “CODIS hit”); and how many of those hits were associated to other sexual assault crimes (i.e., serial sexual assault hits). Overall, there were 259 CODIS hits, 69 of which had DNA matches to another sexual assault case. The potential utility of a DNA profile and CODIS hit may vary depending on whether offender was known or unknown to the victim, so we examined these outcomes separately for SAKs associated with stranger- and non-stranger-perpetrated sexual assaults. We selected six case study examples of how DNA testing and CODIS hits helped identified serial sexual assaults in both stranger and non-stranger sexual assault cases. Implications for rape kit testing policies will be discussed.

Authors

• Rebecca Campbell, Michigan State University

• Hannah Fennel, Michigan State University

• Stevan Pierce, Michigan State University

• Dhruv Sharma, Michigan State University

• Giannina Fehler-Cabral, Harder+Company Community Research