A string of cold case breakthroughs made by a specialist WA Police team has thrust it into the international spotlight.
Interstate and overseas forces have been taking note of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy team, now hoping to learn some tips and tricks.
They work by taking DNA already in the police database and comparing it to information that those using ancestory research websites have consented to providing to law enforcement.
READ MORE: Australia strikes $7b missile deal for ‘greatest arms race’ since WWII
When similarities are found, family trees are built that lead police to potential suspects.
In July, a man was extradited from Canberra, accused of a 1993 sexual assault in Nedlands that had remained unsolved for three decades. Police had traced his family back 200 years to find him.
Last June, a Duncraig man was arrested for a series of sexual assaults committed between 1995 and 1998.
And last month, a man’s body found in the Kimberley a decade ago was finally identified.
“Victims have been waiting for justice for 30 and 40 years, and it is a privilege as commissioner to watch our people solve those crimes on behalf of those victims,” WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said.
READ MORE: Hit-run sentence ‘won’t heal pain’ for top cop’s family
“New Zealand and the United States … also some forces on the east coast of Australia are taking notice … following in our footsteps, but just wondering how we are accelerating so quickly to get the results that we have.”
The unit could soon be expanded, with the police commissioner planning to get even more officers into the team soon, so they can get answers for even more victims and their families.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
links to content on ABC
9News
