Genetic testing websites have become popular in culture today because of their ability to tell an individual’s family history, ethnicity, ancestors, and much more. But, it also keeps track of these tests, which allows forensic scientists to compare DNA evidence from crime scenes to these records and find the offender or their relatives.
Recently, a cold case from decades prior had a breakthrough due to a relative uploading their DNA to the website, GEDMatch. This is the case of Sandra Young. Over 50 years ago, a Boy Scout accidentally stumbled upon the remains of a teenage girl, but her identity remained a mystery. That was until the DNA from GEDMatch could reveal the donor was a distant relative of Young. Young’s DNA was in the police system due to her family providing their DNA in the hope of matching years prior, knowing their daughter was missing. However, the DNA testing techniques from that time could only determine Young’s physical features, the recent online match was the breakthrough needed for this case. Now that the remains have been identified, police can work towards finding the suspect responsible for this heinous crime. Unfortunately, as of today, that person remains a mystery.
References:
www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/oregon-teen-remains-identified-dna/index.html?scrlybrkr=ac91d8f9
www.npr.org/2024/02/25/1233775869/sandra-young-dna-oregon-missing-persons-case
Photo Credit: “Genetic engineering logo” by Ciencias Españolas KoS is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
