News

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."

After nearly 10 years, Milford man charged in rape of Western Michigan student
— CBSNews.com, May 4, 2023

"A 29-year-old man has been charged in the rape of a freshman at Western Michigan University in 2013, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. "The work of our department, in collaboration with the SAKI units in Kalamazoo and elsewhere, continues to show sexual assault survivors that justice is still a viable pursuit, even ten years on,"" said Nessel. ""Our hope and goal is that this pursuit leads to aid the healing process for victims. Investigations, charges, convictions; these are important elements of a broader process of securing justice and helping victims to recover."

"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."

Teen was sexually assaulted 28 years ago in Alaska, officials say. DNA leads to arrest
— The Bharat Express News, Apr 7, 2023

"Nearly three decades after a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted behind a restaurant, a man has been charged and arrested, Alaska officials said. Ronald Wade Fischer, 51, was charged March 30 with first-degree sexual assault, the state attorney general’s office said in a press release shared April 6 by the Anchorage Police Department. Officials said the sexual assault kit from the case was not tested until 2020 through a “state-funded initiative”."

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."

Man convicted of rape in 1st trial from Minneapolis Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
— KSTP, Apr 3, 2023

"A 2020 plan to test previously untested sexual assault kits has led to its first conviction. Friday afternoon, a Hennepin County jury found 49-year-old James Andrew Works guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of kidnapping. “Victims deserve justice and our community needs to know that we will not let those who commit these crimes go without accountability,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “We are prioritizing this work and I am grateful for the partnership and work of MPD and BCA, along with our staff who worked on this case. I hope the victims in this case feel some sense of relief after these verdicts.”"