Police identify Idaho murderer using DNA databases: Reports

• According to reports, police were able to link the Idaho murders suspect to the crime scene using DNA.
• They ran DNA through genealogical databases and received a hit, anonymous law enforcement source told ABC News.
• CNN reported that police followed the suspect back to Pennsylvania where he was eventually arrested.

According to police, the suspect was linked by officers in November. Idaho student killingsTo the crime scene using the controversial method of investigators used to find the Golden Gate Killer.

Investigators used DNA from the crime scene to find the suspect. They were able to get a hit in a public genealogy database. sources familiar with the case told ABC News Fox News.

Police arrest Bryan Kohberger in his parent’s Pennsylvania home on Friday and charged him with the first-degree murder of four University of Idaho college students: Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20.

The FBI tracked Kohberger all across the country for four days before he was arrested. CNN reported. CNN reports that Kohberger was booked at Monroe County Correctional Facility following his arrest. He will waive extradition and return to Idaho more quickly, according to CNN.

CNN spoke with Kohberger’s lawyer the 28-year-old was “shocked”His arrest.

Police stated that they have found additional evidence linking Kohberger and the crime since the arrest. This was a white Hyundai Elantra which was similar to the one found nearby the house around the time the killings occurred.

Fry stated that the weapon used in the killing of the four students is still unknown.

The controversial practice of using DNA databases to identify individuals is not recommended.

According to a University of Chicago Law Review article, the use of genealogy databases in criminal investigations has been both celebrated and scrutinized. published earlier this year.

Investigators used the database GEDMatch in solving the Golden State Killer case and to charge Joseph James DeAngelo for murder. After his 2018 conviction, he is currently serving multiple life sentences.

The author of the law article stated that many law experts believe that lawmakers should establish legal standards for the use of genetic data in this manner to protect individuals’ privacy. Some states agree: Montana and Maryland passed laws in 2021 that govern the use genetic data to solve crimes.

Insider has been told by experts that people who send their DNA companies for genealogical purposes should exercise caution. if they want to protect their genetic privacy.

The case of a former NYPD Sergeant could complicate the use DNA. Joseph Giacalone was the Bronx’s Cold Case Unit commander, according to Insider last year.

“You have all of your blood, and there might also be hair fibers,” Giacalone told Insider at the moment. “So there are probably many mixtures of DNA and other substances in your system.”