Your At-Home DNA Test Could Crack a Cold Case

The hit podcast Bear Brook detailed how genetic genealogy—the use of DNA testing in conjunction with family-tree mapping—helped identify the perpetrator of a horrific crime in New Hampshire more than three decades ago. The same technique helped capture the notorious Golden State Killer and has led to the identification of both victims and perpetrators of other cold crimes—at least 23 in 2018 alone.

But the method also raises new questions. Now, your consumer DNA test results could implicate a third cousin you’ve never met in a crime. Do we have an obligation to protect our families' privacy? Should there be strict limits on how law enforcement can use genetic genealogy? Join Future Tense for a conversation on the cutting edge of crime solving, featuring experts on DNA, law enforcement, and privacy.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.

Participants:

Jason Moon, @jasonmoonNHPR
Reporter, New Hampshire Public Radio
Host, Bear Brook

Nila Bala, @nilabala3
Associate Director, Criminal Justice & Civil Liberties
Senior Fellow, R Street Institute

John Fitzgerald
Chief of Police, Chevy Chase Village Police Department

Moderator:

Rebecca Lavoie, @reblavoie
Digital Director, New Hampshire Public Radio
Host, Crime Writers On...

Follow the conversation online using #DNAColdCases and following@FutureTenseNow.