News

Attleboro man indicted for the 2001 rape of a 13-year-old girl in Fairhaven
— NBC 10 News, Dec 14, 2022

"An Attleboro man has been indicted for the 2001 rape of a 13-year-old girl in Fairhaven. He was connected to the rape by DNA found in a previously untested rape kit. A Bristol County Grand Jury indicted 37-year-old Patrick Avila on a charge of rape of a child with force. This is the latest charge brought on by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office’s Untested Rape Kit Initiative."

Durham police arrest man for sexual assaults allegedly committed in 1993
— WRAL News, Dec 14, 2022

"Durham investigators on Monday arrested a man accused of sexual assaults police say were committed in 1993. Dwight Martin, 64, of Durham, is charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sex offense. Police were able to link Martin to the two sexual assault incidents through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). The police department’s Cold Case Unit received a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) hit that helped them link the two cases to Martin."

Fayetteville police arrest man in connection to string of sexual assaults in 2007
— CBS17, Dec 14, 2022

"The Fayetteville Police Department says a sexual assault cold case has been solved after 15 years. Sexual assault exams were done and while DNA was collected, technology at the time was limited so the case went unsolved. Those samples were recently submitted for testing using funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s FY2015 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Grant. That testing identified McMillian as the suspect."

Quin'darrius Carter pleaded guilty to five counts of rape in a Jefferson County courtroom.
— https://www.wvtm13.com/article/jefferson-county-investigators-serial-rapist-backlog-sexual-assault-kit/42271308, Dec 14, 2022

"Carter's victims were part of a massive sexual assault kit backlog. In 2016, prosecutors found about 4,000 rape kits had gone untested in Jefferson County for decades. Since then, a special team with the national Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has worked to eliminate half of the backlog."

New Hanover County judge sentences man to over 48 years for 1996 rape and kidnapping case
— WECT, Dec 12, 2022

"A jury in New Hanover County has convicted Timothy Craig Iannone of first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping for a case dating back to 1996. Without the efforts of the State of North Carolina and Attorney General Josh Stein to provide millions of dollars to test rape test kits that had remained on shelves for decades this case might never have been solved."

Missouri Attorney General’s office secures conviction through SAFE Kit Initiative, 10 other cases headed to trial
— KTTN, Dec 9, 2022

"Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office had recently helped to secure a conviction because of the work his Office has done with the SAFE Kit Initiative. There are 10 other cases that are currently heading to trial because of DNA evidence obtained through the shipping and testing of untested sexual assault kits through the Missouri Attorney General’s SAFE Kit Initiative."

‘Across the finish line’: How Missouri plans to clear its sexual assault kit backlog by 2025
— News Tribune, Dec 6, 2022

"Missouri will receive a third federal grant that will help the state finish clearing the state's backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Chris Nuelle, spokesman for Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, said Wednesday. The statewide effort to identify and process these kits has tested 5,246 so far, which makes up 85 percent of the backlog, according to data from the SAFE (sexual assault forensic evidence) kits initiative. In the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault, a victim often undergoes a forensic examination to collect evidence of the assault. A SAFE kit is the standardized kit used to collect the evidence."

Marysville cold case solved with assistance from Attorney General’s DNA forensic genetic genealogy program
— Washington State Office of the Attorney General, Dec 5, 2022

"Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that his office’s DNA forensic genetic genealogy program has now helped solve a 24-year-old cold case from Marysville. The program is part of the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)."

‘11,000 to Zero’ campaign seeks those affected by Detroit’s rape kit backlog
— WDET.org, Dec 1, 2022

"The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office has launched the “11,000 to Zero” campaign as part of its rape kits backlog review. In 2009, an Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor discovered a warehouse containing 11,341 rape kits, dating back to 1984, that had never been tested. Last month, the prosecutor’s office announced that all of those kits have now been tested."

Connecticut Secures Funding for Timely Processing of Sexual Assault Evidence Kits
— NBC Connecticut, Dec 1, 2022

"The lab got its first Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant, or SAKI grant, in 2015. That is when state lawmakers passed Public Act 15-207, requiring quick turnaround of sexual assault evidence collection kits. “We immediately went into the backlog and got rid of it,” Carreiro said. With the latest $1.2 million in federal funding, the lab will bolster personnel, buy supplies and equipment, and lead more trainings."