Laboratories in the United States already use direct PCR for reference samples where the DNA donor is known, but current federal quality assurance standards keep them from using direct PCR for forensic evidence.
Since DNA was first used in forensic science in the late 1980s, it has opened doors to solve cases that have been cold for decades. For the U.S. military, it's been essential in carrying out the age-old motto, "no one left behind."
Recent advances in DNA technology have allowed cold case investigators to come the closest they’ve ever been to identifying the only remaining unidentified victim of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “Happy Face Killer.”
The success of a unique cold case unit in Cuyahoga County, Ohio continues with the identification of three rapists—impacting six victims—thanks to forensic genetic genealogy and familial searching.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is continuing to take strides in his office’s focus to help solve cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.