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Forensic experts urge statute change to permit familial DNA searches in unsolved cases
Summary
A forensic practitioner and members of the Forensic Science Oversight Board urged the committee to amend G.L. c.22E to allow familial DNA searching and partial matches to increase solvability of cold cases, with statutory guardrails to prevent use of private consumer databases.
Dr. Anna Marie Myers, a forensic practitioner and member of the Massachusetts Forensic Science Oversight Board, told the committee the Commonwealth should permit familial DNA searching and partial‑match analysis to help solve unsolved violent crimes. She said the existing statute governing DNA (G.L. c.22E, referenced in testimony) does not authorize these investigative techniques and that…
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