News
Displaying News and Event Items: 191 - 200 of 853.
DA Quinn’s untested rape kit initiative leads to arrest in 1994 Bristol County rape case
— Fall River Reporter, Nov 17, 2022
"Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn’s Untested Rape Kit Initiative has resulted in another arrest connected to a decades old case involving a previously untested rape kit.
48-year-old Eduardo Mendez was apprehended Tuesday night in New York City on an arrest warrant issued by BCDAO for the 1994 violent rape of a woman in Attleboro."
Testing complete on 11K+ rape kits found in Wayne County from 1984-2009
— WXYZ Detroit, Nov 16, 2022
"The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said 11,000 rape kits that were discovered in 2009 have finally been tested.
“It takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage for survivors to revisit the events of a sexual assault,” said Worthy. “We understand their decision to come forward is not an easy one but want to reassure them that they are not forgotten and their cases still very much matter. We have now reached a point where we need to reach thousands of survivors to make certain they get answers.”
Jefferson County has cleared half of huge rape kit backlog
— WVTM 13, Nov 10, 2022
"Big things are happening in a small room on the 16th floor of a Birmingham office building.
A trio of investigators is quickly eliminating a formerly 4,000 untested rape kit backlog.
"It makes me feel great. I think that is a huge success not only for us, but for our survivors," Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Investigator Justin Bowlin said.
Their hard work has helped identify 74 serial offenders."
Washington state auditor reports progress made on backlog of sexual assault kits
— King 5, Nov 2, 2022
"KING 5 checked with Washington State Patrol (WSP) and it said there are 4,543 new and old kits that are pending, with 60% of those historical kits which were collected before July 24, 2015.
“It’s wonderful to know that these people who went in and got the rape kit done that the evidence they collected from their bodies from that crimes scene that we're actually testing it,” said Griffin."
Maricopa County gets $3M grant to help solve cold cases
— Daily Independent, Oct 28, 2022
"Maricopa County received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for DNA testing on cold cases and collecting evidence through sexual assault kits.
The county approved $500,000 in grant funding from the Office of Justice Funding for the use of prosecuting cold cases with DNA. The funding will be used to investigate and bring cold case violent crimes for prosecution and closure."
PA Man Jailed In 1993 Newark Sexual Assault Cold Case
— 1st State Update, Oct 18, 2022
"In October of 2019, then 54-year-old Jeffrey King, was charged by the Newark Police Department in the 26-year-old sexual assault case. King was charged after DNA linked the man to the case, Lt Andrew Rubin said at the time. In November 2017, Newark Police reopened that case. Lead investigator, Detective Taras Gerasimov was assigned to the case for follow-up as part of the Sexual Assault Kit InitiativeI grant-funded initiative. The sexual assault kit, which had not been previously tested for DNA purposes, was sent to a private laboratory to identify any DNA samples that may be present.
In August 2019, detectives conducted surveillance on the suspect and were able to collect a discarded item with his DNA. The man’s DNA profile was sent to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for DNA comparison. The DNA profile was compared to the sample from the suspect in the 1993 incident and they were found to be consistent, according to Rubin."
Flint gets $2.5M to help solve sexual assault cases
— WNEM, Oct 11, 2022
"A $2.5 million grant could get hundreds of rape kits off the shelves in Flint and to labs for testing.
The money is coming through the Justice Department’s National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, and it will be used for forensic genetic testing. The person who oversees this investigative aspect is Flint Police Sgt. Mona Patterson. She tells TV-5 each case is more than a mere number to her.
“I’ve been on the department for over 25 years, and I would say since I’ve been in this unit, I’ve probably cried the most,” Patterson said. “Just being able to hear their stories and what’s connected to it, and just to see them get justice.”
Hundreds of backlogged sex assault kits from Kansas City now being tested
— Fox 4 KC, Oct 8, 2022
"Hundreds of untested sexual assault kits from Kansas City are in the process of being tested for DNA.
The 226 kits are part of the backlog reported by the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
The Missouri Attorney General’s office shipped the kits to a lab at Marshall University for testing. Another 300 kits were shipped to the same lab for testing in August."
