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Note: Cumulative performance metrics are updated quarterly based on state and local level reports.
Kalamazoo man sentenced for 2005 sexual assault of 14-year-old
— Michael Arney, wkzo.com, Feb 10, 2025
"A 39-year-old Kalamazoo man will spend between 12 and 50 years in prison after being convicted of two charges of first degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting a minor in 2005.
Attorney General Dana Nessel says the victim was 14 at the time and reported the assault by a then-unknown man immediately.
Shawn Robinson Hopkins was identified in 2022, 17 years after the assault, thanks to DNA evidence.
Nessel says she is hoping the sentence “will bring a sense of justice to the victim,” adding her courage to come forward and seek accountability for her abuser “is truly commendable.”
She added she is thankful to the Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative unit in pursuing justice for her and other cold case sexual assault survivors."
DPS Crime Laboratory Cracks 1996 Cold Case Murder
— dps.texas.gov, Jan 23, 2025
"Using modern evidence testing, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Laboratory Division has now identified the man investigators believe is responsible for the decades-old cold case murder of 86-year-old Mary Moore Searight in Paris, Texas. On Dec. 12, 2024, nearly 30 years after her death, David Paul Cady Jr., 54, was indicted by a Lamar Co. grand jury.
In 2021, Searight’s case was identified by the Texas Rangers as being eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program which is funded by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ/BJA). DOJ/BJA provides investigative funding for agencies across the United States to further unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides with the hope of bringing justice to victims and their families. "
Idaho State Police forensic report shows cold case solved with advancements in DNA methods
— CBS2 News Staff, Idahonews.com, Jan 16, 2025
"The Idaho State Police (ISP) released the annual Idaho State Police Forensic Services (ISPFS) IMPACT REPORT, highlighting how these laboratories advance Idaho's criminal justice system through forensic science, innovation and expertise. 498 lawfully owed DNA entries through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Program 427 sexual assault kits completed
61 nurses trained through the ISPFS Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, with over 260 now trained. SAKI Program, 101 cold cases triaged, 15 cold cases opened"
SAKI is enhancing the criminal justice response to sexual assault and ensuring justice for victims. SAKI funding will not only help link victims to advocates and needed services, but also help jurisdictions implement best practices and comprehensive reform to help bring perpetrators to justice and increase safety in communities by preventing future sexual assaults.
Sign up for upcoming webinars or watch webinars from the SAKI archive. Presentations feature practitioners and experts with years of experience in current and cold case sexual assault. The webinars cover investigations, forensic testing, prosecution strategies, victim notification, the neurobiology of trauma, offender research, and more
Choose from five E-Learning Curricula that provide guidance on issues related to unsubmitted sexual assault kits. The courses walk learners through the importance of SAK testing, the effects of trauma, creating a testing plan, victim notification, cold case investigation and prosecution. Individual modules allow learners to complete trainings at their own pace.
Explore hands-on resources tailored for practitioners working to improve their community's response to sexual assault. The SAKI Toolkit contains topics centered around skill development and covers the key categories of sexual assault response. Explore resources, save tools to a customizable Briefcase, or create resource sets to share with others.
SAKI is committed to helping survivors of sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs help, support is available through the resources provided by our partners.
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative aims to create a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to sexual assault cases. Through this program, funding is provided to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
