UPDATE 2: Am I my brother’s (or third cousin’s) snitch?
Update 2: Good Reads
Two recent articles that help highlight what’s going on with this case. First, some excellent reporting on the rationale behind the “genealogy/no genealogy” statements in the press, and it’s not about whether the method was or was not used—it was (Spoiler alert: Police vs. advocate debate on transparency). Second, an op-ed by my former co-worker Bryanna Fox, a criminologist and former FBI Special Agent, about why studying criminology doesn’t make you a better criminal. As Bryanna states, “there were easier and better ways to do so than to spend tens of thousands of dollars, go through years of advanced studies and conduct sophisticated research required for a doctoral degree in criminology.” Also, if was that smart about avoiding capture, why (allegedly) leave behind a knife sheath with his DNA on it?
Update
Here’s the probable-cause affidavit for Kohberger’s arrest. DNA analysis was used but according to the content of the affidavit no genealogy was mentioned; it could still have played a part.
Washington State University refers to Kohlberger as a “former” graduate student.
Finding a suspect
Bryan Kohberger was arrested on Friday in Pennsylvania, accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. The students were apparently killed with a long-bladed knife. Kohberger is a former graduate student, pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice at Washington State University, only nine miles from the University of Idaho. Kohberger became of interest when investigators confirmed he owned a white Hyundai Elantra, the same kind of car seen near the crime scene. They then reportedly found cellphone data which placed him “often in the same location” as the victims.
According to sources, Kohberger has never been arrested or convicted of a crime, meaning his DNA profile would not be in the Combined DNA Identification System (CODIS), a national database used by law enforcement and forensic laboratories. Apparently, investigators then turned to a method that only recently has been used on active cases, investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). ABC News cited anonymous law enforcement sources that a genealogy database matched DNA recovered at the scene of the homicides and led investigators to Kohberger. CNN later confirmed his DNA was matched to genetic material recovered at the crime scene, cited law enforcement sources. A judge has recently placed a gag order on those involved in the case.
Up a tree
The use of genealogy has increased in recent years with the advent of commercial DNA analysis to provide additional information about relatives and relations. Genealogy itself is a historical practice, using records or accounts of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, or group; it is the study of family ancestries and histories. Adding DNA tests to the process creates genetic genealogy, combining the DNA results to the historical record of births, deaths, marriages, and other records. If any type of genealogy is used to help resolve a legal dispute, that is called forensic genealogy, where genealogical research, analysis, and reporting in cases with legal implications, often involving living individuals. These cases can range from proof of relatedness, to land ownership, to wills and trusts, among other cases. Finally, we get to investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), which is the use of traditional and genetic genealogy to establish relationships between individuals that are of interest to a legal investigation, such as identifying or exonerating a suspect. Because both forensic and investigative genetic genealogy already exist as separate areas of study, the term “forensic investigative genetic genealogy” seems repetitive and somewhat confusing.
Up until recently, with the 2018 arrest of Joseph DeAngelo, the so-called Golden State Killer, IGG has been used primarily in cold cases to help create new leads. With the apparent use of IGG in the Idaho killings, the use of the method seems to be shifting more to active, current cases.
Why This Matters
In the process of IGG, practitioners gain access to personal information about a variety of individuals, living and dead. This could be age, sex, geographic location, as well as gleaning details from social media, like images, activities, and relationships, including family. These individuals have no idea that they have been drawn into and are involved in a criminal investigation. Genetic information may be used by uploading unknown DNA profiles into one of the genetic genealogy databases open to IGG matching, like GEDmatch Pro or FamilyTreeDNA. While the users of such sites may have opted to allow their genetic profiles to be used by law enforcement, they may not appreciate that they could be implicating a relative. The privacy interests tied to IGG are of significant concern to academics, journalists, and governments, not to mention the public. .
Experts have said that those who send their DNA to genealogy companies should do so with caution if they want to protect their genetic privacy. Legal experts have made the case for legal standards for using genetic data in this process to protect the privacy of individuals. Three states, Montana, Maryland, and Utah, enacted laws in 2021 that govern the use of genetic data in criminal investigations. to solve a crime. The U.S. Department of Justice drafted an interim policy on the use of IGG by federal agents.
IGG was largely created by individuals outside of law enforcement or genetics: There is almost no oversight and little legislation to guide its use. Recent efforts have created a certifying body and a framework for standards for IGG’s use. “Given its success, the community has mostly looked past that for the last four years, however, it feels like the time has come to reassess.”