News

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Cold Case Unit have charged a suspect in a 28-year-old sexual assault cold case investigation.
— charlottenc.gov, May 9, 2023

"On June 17, 1994, at 1:30 a.m., a 39-year-old victim reported to CMPD that an unknown subject had broken into her residence and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint. A sexual assault kit was completed on the victim and analyzed. Additional testing of the evidence was conducted in 2018, and in 2019, the forensic samples from the scene were linked to another sex assault in Columbia, South Carolina that happened in 2010. In 2022, with the assistance of funding from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), detectives utilized forensic genetic genealogy to identify a person of interest. A DNA sample was obtained from this subject, and it matched the DNA from both sexual assaults."

Minneapolis initiative to tackle untested rape kits brings first conviction
— Star Tribune, May 8, 2023

"For more than a decade, their rape kits sat untested on a shelf. But on Monday, two women who accused James Andrew Works, 49, of kidnapping and raping them for hours at gunpoint in 2010 said they no longer have to live in fear. Works was sentenced to 32½ years in prison after a Hennepin County jury found him guilty of all charges following a two-week trial. It's the first conviction resulting from a new initiative to tackle a backlog of untested sexual assault forensic exams in Minneapolis."

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has announced an arrest in the 2008 sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, thanks to DNA evidence from a previously untested sexual assault kit.
— 12News.com, May 8, 2023

"The sexual assault allegedly occurred at a party in the summer of 2008. The victim said two males lured her into a bedroom and assaulted her before a 17-year-old boy intervened and stopped the assault. MCSO said investigators collected evidence and interviewed witnesses before the case became inactive in 2009 after the victim chose not to participate in the investigation. The victim died in May 2015. In 2017, the agency received additional funds through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to test evidence from the 2008 case. The national initiative allocated money for agencies to process evidence from untested rape kits. The testing done in 2017 identified the DNA profile of a male, which was entered into a law enforcement database. About a year later, Rzeczycki was allegedly matched to that DNA profile. "

KCPD working to reduce their backlog of sexual assault kits to help victims get justice quicker
— KCTV5, May 5, 2023

"KCPD posted on their Twitter page that their Crime Lab’s DNA section is drastically reducing the backlog of sample tests. Although DNA can be used in most all cases, it seems to be key for sexual assault cases. Just last year, Kansas City was considered to beone of the cities in Missouri with the highest rate of untested sexual assault kits. In August of 2022, the State Attorney General released the SAFE Kit Initiative report. According to that report, KCPD had a total of 222 kit samples, 32 of which were partially tested."

"Washtenaw Sexual Assault Initiative brings charges against 2 men in 2013 Ypsilanti rape case "
— CBSNews.com, May 2, 2023

""This is the kind of case we are only able to bring charges for through the incredible dedication and vital work of our SAKI teams throughout the state,"" said Nessel. ""Ten years after this assault we are still able to bring charges, and I want other survivors out there to see that. That is possible because of the tremendous work and determination of teams like the Washtenaw SAKI team, whose efforts I am grateful for and applaud."" The Michigan Legislature funds the SAKI project, and it collaborates with the Michigan Attorney General's Office, the Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office and SafeHouse Center. "

Convicted sex offender indicted for 2005 Cold Case
— deltadiscovery.com, May 2, 2023

"Today (April 19, 2023) an Anchorage grand jury indicted 55-year-old Guy Allan Nelson is charged with sexually assaulting a 34-year-old woman in a vehicle off the Glenn Highway in July 2005. Investigative efforts to identify a suspect in 2005 were unsuccessful and the case went cold. In 2022, the sexual assault kit collected in the case was tested as part of the Capital Project, a State-funded initiative to test and analyze all untested sexual assault kits collected by 47 police departments statewide. The kit results identified a potential suspect through a DNA match."

Victims detail how Dallas man linked to 10 sexual assaults trapped them, records show
— The Dallas Morning News, Apr 27, 2023

"Court documents in five cases show accounts from women who told police earlier this year how a man assaulted them in Dallas and forced them to perform sexual acts. Police believe the man is 50-year-old Christopher Michael Green. “A lot of these cases are cold because these suspects either don’t have criminal records or were never on anybody’s trail,” said D’Antoni, who is the chief of the sexual assault kit initiative team in the district attorney’s office."

Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Initiative Brings Man to Trial for 2005 Rape
— Michigan Department of Attorney General, Apr 14, 2023

“The importance of the work being done by the Kalamazoo SAKI team and their counterparts throughout Michigan cannot be overstated,” said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting. “Being able to provide justice that is long overdue for victims of sexual assault is extraordinarily important. Equally important is the fact that we know that prosecuting these cases often results in preventing future assaults on others by these men.”

New Orleans City Council approves to clear sexual assault kit backlog
— WDSU6, Apr 7, 2023

"New Orleans City Council has unanimously approved an agreement that will clear the state's sexual assault kit backlog within the next two years. The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) is the result of District B Councilmember Lesli Harris’ push to include $3 million in the annual budget, specifically to eliminate the backlog of kits and other unprocessed DNA evidence from New Orleans crimes."

Akron Police arrest suspected serial rapist
— News 5 Cleveland, Apr 4, 2023

"New Orleans City Council has unanimously approved an agreement that will clear the state's sexual assault kit backlog within the next two years. The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) is the result of District B Councilmember Lesli Harris’ push to include $3 million in the annual budget, specifically to eliminate the backlog of kits and other unprocessed DNA evidence from New Orleans crimes."