The Church Assault
The case of an elderly woman being molested in her church is unique among nearly all situations in which genetic testing has been used to track down a suspect. Parabon Nanoloabs, like many others, was essential in assisting law police in locating the criminal, but what made this case special was the crime. This was one of the few occasions where the perpetrator did not rape or murder their victim; instead, an assault was being probed.
Police claimed that because the criminal had the potential to commit another crime, they needed to take exceptional measures to discover them. Parabon employed GEDMatch and a DNA sample recovered at the crime scene. The assailant had shattered a window to gain entry to the church, where he strangled the woman from behind while she played the organ. She went unconscious multiple times and had no idea who it was. However, the person had left blood on the window through which they entered.
Although the sample was not in any criminal database, GEDMatch proved to be more effective. The sample was matched to an uncle of the defendant who referred law enforcement to a relative who lived near where the crime took place. The culprit, a 17-year-old high school student, was apprehended by police. They had school officials watch him at lunch one day and seized a discarded milk carton from his meal after it had been thrown away. The DNA from the milk container was matched to the blood on the window.
The case isn't particularly noteworthy in and of itself, but it did send shockwaves across the industry. It was unusual for Parabon to utilize their technology to track down someone who had committed an assault rather than for more severe offenses. According to GEDMatch, their database is not to be accessed by law enforcement except in situations of murder, rape, or kidnapping. The CEO ignored his own guidelines to enable this one to go through, resulting in a significant reaction. As a result, GEDMatch changed their guidelines to be considerably stricter about how and when law enforcement can access records.
