Like many other things, the 2021 Hit of the Year program sang a different tune this year thanks to COVID-19. Instead of reviewing new cases, the program took the opportunity to reflect on cases that were submitted in the previous four years but not selected by the judges as the Hit of the Year.
“The top case selected at each year is certainly a key part of the Hit of the Year program, however, to me, the Hit of the Year is so much more,” said Tim Schellberg, President of Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs (GTH-GA). “It’s about the hundreds of cases submitted that we all collectively learn from.”
Lorna Santos, DNA leader with the Philippines National Police, takes that learning very seriously—and literally. For years, Santos has led the effort to expand the DNA lab within Philippines National Police and establish a national DNA database. Serving as a Hit of the Year judge in 2017, Santos says the cases she reviewed are still an inspiration to her.
“Through these cases I can show our leadership and congress what is possible,” Santos told Forensic. “Learning from forensic DNA programs in countries that pioneered DNA databases is essential for developing countries like the Philippines.”
One specific case Santos points to as inspirational is the 2017 sexual assault and murder of Helena Hoffman, which investigators were able to solve in just 48 hours.
“The case handling is perfect,” said Santos. “It’s like a movie script. It may not be same for the majority of cases, but that particular case showed the power of having a working system in sync. This case exemplifies what is possible when you have a DNA program and an organization that moves fast.”
48 Hours
In June 2017, the Colorado Police Department was called when the body of a woman was found floating in a lake. Tammy Tracy, an investigator with the Colorado Police Department, said there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body, but she did notice some bruising around her neck.
“So, I wanted to swab areas of her body for possible DNA collection,” said Tracy. “But, her body had been in this bacteria-infested lake, so I knew the likelihood of collecting any useable DNA was small.”
Still, Tracy swabbed her neck. A subsequent autopsy revealed Hoffman was sexually assaulted prior to her murder, so vaginal and anal swabs were also taken. While the lab worked to rush the DNA results, Tracy and her colleagues put together a timeline of Hoffman’s last day, coming to the conclusion that her deceased body spent 13 hours in the lake.
In the meantime, Terese Jakobsson, a detective with the Fort Collins Police Department, collected DNA swabs from the men in Hoffman’s life, since they were the most likely suspects. But, compared with the DNA from the swabs collected at autopsy, nothing matched.
Just when Jakobsson was starting to worry there was a rapist and murderer on the streets targeting strangers, they got a big break.
Barely two days after it was first collected, the lab was able to develop a full DNA profile off the anal and vaginal swabs, as well as a YSTR profile from the neck swab. All three of the profiles matched the same unknown male.
“It was a good thing I was sitting down because I was shocked,” Tracy said.
The lab immediately put the full profile into the National DNA index system and not even a day later, there was a match for a known sex offender.
“Without that DNA hit, this person had not been a suspect on our radar,” said Jakobsson. “He was a stranger to Helena. The information we received from the lab and the quick turnaround time helped us locate him, arrest him and ensure he wasn’t able to harm anyone else in our community. It also gave Helena’s family some piece of mind.”
Stopping future crime
Upon reviewing the facts of this case, Santos had a simple sentiment: “I wish we could do that too.”
Currently, the Philippines national DNA database is in the first phase of the program, with 60,000 DNA samples and the introduction of high-throughput capabilities in the national forensic lab. Santos says legislation for the database has it’s first reading in the senate, with positive feedback from invited stakeholders from different sectors. However, the DNA expert says, there are floating issues surrounding who will be in charge of the database since the proposal came from those associated with the police force.
“Getting the best practices of pioneering countries is practical for a developing country like ours,” said Santos. “It will save us time and resources. We may not have the same situation, but there are a lot of common issues and concerns regarding DNA as evidence that those who started it early have already addressed.”
Ultimately, Santos said she hopes to one day have a national DNA database system that can be used by law enforcers in the Philippines, as well as in routing policing.
“Unlike other evidence, DNA databases are found to be a deterrent factor for criminal-minded people,” she said. “We would prefer that no crime was committed because they know they could get caught easily, rather than solve a crime after it has happened.”
Editor's Note: This is Forensic's third article on cases profiled during the 2021 Hit of the Year program at the HIDS Conference. The first article, How DNA Databases Solve Cold Case Rapes, is now available, as well as the second, Back to the Beginning: First Forensic DNA Technology Solves Cold Case Rape.