The NSW Police Force (NSWPF) has partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to determine whether DNA technology used by United States law enforcement to catch the Golden State Killer can be used in Australia.
In a statement, NSWPF said after completing a world-first graduate certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) technology, a group of specialists from NSWPF and the AFP were assessing FGG as an investigative tool.
“FGG – also known as long-range familial DNA searching – would be used to identify suspects and missing people when no match is found on current criminal DNA databases,” NSWPF said.
“The method uses a wider set of genetic markers than the current technology available to Australian law enforcement,” it said.
“It would allow investigators to identify familial matches up to third and fourth cousins.”
NSWPF said current familial searching on the National Criminal Investigation DNA Database could only identify close family matches.
“The technique was first used in April 2018 in the highly publicised ‘Golden State Killer’ case in California,” it said.
“Since then, an estimated 200 cases have been resolved in the United States, from giving a name to unknown remains, to identifying suspects in cold case homicide and sexual assault investigations.”
The Agency said Research Coordinator with the Science and Research Unit at NSWPF, Jennifer Raymond and Manager of Science and Technology at NSWPF, Alison Sears completed the six-month FGG course at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, US in August.
Dr Raymond said she was excited about the potential for FGG to be used as a tool for Australian law enforcement.
“This course has really allowed us to workshop how forensic genetic genealogy could work in Australia and to develop a robust path forward for Australian investigators and scientists,” she said.
NSWPF said the method would be subject to legal and security reviews and would be governed by strict policy and procedures if introduced in Australia.
