Genetic genealogy and how it's being used to help solve cold cases

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — Genealogy is a popular way for people to learn about their ancestry.

Now, it's become a major asset for law enforcement in helping solve cold cases.

When investigators tracked down the suspected "Golden State killer,” they relied on a new tool: genetic genealogy.

Police believe the man who terrorized Californians from 1974 to 1986 is 72-year-old former police officer: Joseph James Deangelo.

He's been charged with eight murders. Police suspect he committed at least four other murders and about 50 rapes.

DNA from crime scenes was used to create a genetic profile, which was then matched with profiles available online. Detectives followed clues to individuals in the family trees to determine whether they were potential suspects. They found distant relatives of Deangelo's, and traced their DNA back to him.

Since that arrest in April, other cold cases across the country have been solved using the same technique, including the 1992 murder of Lancaster County teacher: Christy Mirack.

Genetic genealogy steered authorities to Raymond Rowe, a popular disc jockey, known as "DJ Freez."

Prosecutors said DNA from a plastic water bottle and discarded chewing gum linked Rowe to the crime.

Rowe is set to go on trial on those homicide charges next year.

The possibility of solving many more cold cases this way seems endless.

So why aren't more law enforcement agencies using genetic genealogy?

"Ancestry.com,” "23 and me,” and "My Heritage.com" and the list goes on.

"Direct to consumer" genetic tests can help you learn more about your family roots. Chances are you or someone you know has paid for the service.

"I just read yesterday that seven million people have purchased ancestry tests. That's an enormous number of people and it's just going to keep growing we think, " said Laura Pearson.

Pearson is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State's University Park Campus. She says most of these ancestry sites are meant to keep your genetic fingerprint private.

"Most of these direct-to-consumer testing services do not release your information,” Pearson said. “So it should be in theory "sequestered" but the potential there in the future is law enforcement could try to gain access to some of these data bases if they know that someone could be in them that they're interested in."

And as genetic registries grow, more people will become identifiable.

The New York Times reports that according to a study published in the Journal of Science, within just two or three years, 90 percent of Americans of European descent will be identifiable from the DNA.

The third party website “Gedmatch” is one way police, among others, are tracking down suspects.

The website allows users to upload genetic data from primarily direct consumer genetic tests to look at relatedness in more detail.

"It's public, so anyone can access it. You create an account and you can get in there and look.”

By reformatting the crime scene DNA and uploading it, with some time and expertise, law enforcement agencies are getting new leads after years of dead ends.

"Most of them are going back to about third cousin level,” Pearson said. “So you are expecting to find some number of these large chromosomal segments that suggests they are coming from a shared common relative, and then they are able to sort of parse out where it might have come from and then kind of trace back to the potential suspect."

It's not cheap. Forensic consulting firms can charge police agencies money, they don't have.

"I think sometimes people will give you the impression that this is harder than it really is," Pearson said.

And now, for the first time ever, Pennsylvania State Police are submitting cold cases, with crime scene DNA, from across the commonwealth to its Bureau of Criminal Investigations, to be prioritized for funding to help pay for genetic genealogy analysis.

"The advancements they've made even in just the last couple years changes a lot of these cold cases because now we have a tool we were never able to use before," said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Randy Powell.

One of those cold cases under consideration, happened more than three decades ago in Jefferson County.

"A gentleman was checking mine runoff, water runoff in the area of Washington Township,” retired state police Trooper Dave Ray said. “He was up checking on one of the old tram roads and he happened to go check a low-lying area where the water was running when he came across the victim's remains."

Ray and Powell showed us the remote area, where a man's skeletal remains were found in July 1986.

"There was an electrical cord around the neck area of the body, a crack in the skull, and his fingers had been removed from one hand, his left hand, and his right hand had been completely removed," said Ray.

Despite their best efforts, investigators haven't been able to identify the man.

At the time, dental records and a clay reconstruction of the victim's skull, provided investigators with a general description.

Then, years later, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided troopers a computer-generated face of the man. Their analysis determined the victim was a man between the ages of 25 and 40, 5 feet, 10 inches to 6 foot, 1 inch tall, with brown hair and of Asian, or possibly Mongolian decent.

"Finding out who this person is or was could very well solve the case,” said Powell.

Then in 2017, troopers resubmitted the skull to the University of North Texas and NAMUS, the national DNA index system, in hopes of extracting a DNA sample.

They were in luck, armed with a complete DNA profile of their John Doe, Ray entered the profile into "CODUS,” the combined DNA index system, used by law enforcement, and hoped for a hit.

But week, after week, nothing happened.

"This can really change the whole game," Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett said. He told 6 News he supports the technology of identifying suspects or victims through their relatives.

"We are right on the cusp of something big I think here, because obviously the universe of possible people for possible identification purposes is about to expand dramatically,” said Burkett.

Burkett is quick to point out, you still need good police work, training and follow through. He hopes in time genetic genealogy when used responsibly, will give families the closure they need.

"There's a family out there who one day somebody walked out the door and they expected them back and they were gone forever,” Burkett said. “And they have no idea where they went, they have no idea what happened to them, and this could maybe solve those questions for them."

Solve a gruesome murder case versus privacy protections, Pearson says we are entering an era of new ethical questions.

"There is going to have to be a level of privacy that's attached to even access these third party sites by law enforcement,” Pearson said.

“Because we already have HIPPA in place, which is to protect medical information. But this is effectively medical information. This is something that is even more specific to you than your name. There are probably other people who have your name but no one unless you are an identical twin who has your genome," Pearson said.

So it is likely some big changes are coming, possibly at the federal level. What we're learning about our genomes and DNA is moving faster than legislation, and at some point there needs to be a level of privacy protection, as we learn more DNA and how to use it.