Young women murdered decades ago may finally find justice through new controversial DNA tool
Six murder victims, and the genetic genealogy used this year to ID suspects.
Mar 2, 2019
"...In the first two months of 2019, suspects -- some of whom have already died -- were identified in at least six previously unsolved killings of young women and girls across the U.S. through the new, but controversial, technique.
Genetic genealogy takes an unknown killer's DNA from a crime scene and identifies the suspect through his or her family members, who voluntarily submit their DNA to genealogy databases. This allows police to create a much larger family tree than using regular law enforcement databases, in which an exact match to the suspect is needed in most states, according to CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs, which has worked on the majority of the cases....
Among those solved this year was the murder of 20-year-old Sophie Sergie, whose body was found sexually assaulted, stabbed and shot in a dorm bathroom at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1993....
Steven Downs was tracked down through family members' DNA submissions to a genealogy database. Once it was confirmed his DNA matched the DNA left behind from Sergie's sexual assault, he was taken into custody in February, officials said....
Downs was taken into custody in Maine, where he had been living, and has formally challenged extradition, his attorney James Howaniec told ABC News Friday.
Downs is "stunned" by the allegations and is "absolutely denying the charges," Howaniec said.
"As far as I know he had an alibi for where he was at the time," he added.
Howaniec is skeptical about how DNA was gathered, saying of the genetic genealogy process, "We don't really know whether it meets any sort of protocols."
Downs is scheduled to return to court on
March 20...."
Young women murdered decades ago may finally find justice through new controversial DNA tool
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