On the Job 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine recently called for the use of a new tool at the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to track down a suspected serial predator.

On Dec. 2, authorities arrested Justin Christian, 29, in Lorain in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a 6-year-old Cleveland girl in May. Christian is also a suspect in the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old Elyria girl in February.

In a press conference on Dec. 5 with authorities with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Cleveland Division of Police, Elyria Police Department, and FBI,  the attorney general explained the use of familial DNA.

"When I learned that a predator was breaking into homes to snatch children from their beds, I wanted to immediately launch this new testing in Ohio, which we had been studying and validating for some time," DeWine said. "This is a first for BCI and a first for Ohio.

“In high priority cases, in which public safety is at great risk, I have authorized our scientists to work 24/7 to expedite the results. That was done in this case,” he said.

A familial DNA search is useful when DNA found at the scene of the crime has no match in the state’s database. A familial DNA search aims to identify any genetic near-matches: a brother, father, or son. 
Attorney General DeWine authorized BCI to start researching familial DNA searches in 2012.

Software was purchased and validated. Then BCI developed a 12-page protocol, which outlines the cases that can be considered for familial DNA searches. The process will be limited to the most serious unsolved crimes or serial cases with a public safety component and cases in which all other leads have been exhausted.

If BCI can identify a potential familial DNA match, then BCI criminal analysts help authorities identify the person who might have committed the crime. That information is then shared with detectives, who do additional work before determining whether they can make an arrest.

Ten other states use familial DNA searches to help solve cases.