We often muse that life is stranger than fiction. It\u2019s certainly more messy. The stories on our screens tend to show the world as we wish it would be. Think about the array of crime dramas that have conditioned many of us to think that DNA clues can solve murders and rapes overnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But a DNA sample by itself cannot solve every case \u2014 or not immediately. That\u2019s because even when police obtain genetic material from an unknown attacker, if there is no match with a national database of offenders, detectives hit a wall. That DNA can sit in evidence rooms for years or decades without unlocking answers, compounding the suffering of victims and their families.<\/p>\n
At least that\u2019s how it used to be. Then came a twist that has cracked hundreds of cold cases. Known as forensic genetic genealogy, or FGG, this DNA technology compares genetic material from crime scenes with public genealogy databases. Investigators create family trees that help them identify a possible perpetrator. This is followed by more police work to establish probable cause.<\/p>\n
The Carla Walker Act<\/a>, a bipartisan bill championed by Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Peter Welch of Vermont, would put this technology in the hands of more law enforcement agencies by providing funds for equipment and testing. The bill passed the Senate, and we hope the House will follow suit.<\/p>\n