Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA

The Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland will utilize this award to supplement the efforts of the Prince George’s County Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office in solving serious violent crimes such as homicides and sexual assaults. Over the years, in many of these cases, the investigation has unfortunately come to a standstill, leading to what has been referred to as cold cases. The Prince George’s County Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office are committed to exploring ways to solve these cases. This grant will support using new tools to investigate these unsolved cases. One avenue of investigation that holds great promise is the continued use of Forensic Genetic Genealogy and the advancement in DNA technology. The Prince George’s County Police Department’s DNA laboratory has identified DNA samples of unidentified offenders collected at the crime scene or from victims. Many of these cases are from unsolved homicides and sexual assaults. With advances in DNA technology and Forensic Genetic Genealogy, many cases can be solved, and the offender can be brought to justice. This new generation of scientific testing holds great promise; grant funding would be used primarily to cover the costs associated with this method of investigation, which involves the latest that science has to offer.