Updates:  2020/02/16Page started from notes/news created on the subject on this same day.  More material has been added here. IN THIS SECTION     DNA Found Crime Scene     Arizona     Colorado     New Mexico (Scroll down if links are not active) DNA AT CRIME SCENE How Can a Person's DNA Be Found at a Crime Scene? Written by Milton Kazmeyer https //education seattlepi.com/can-persons-dna-found-crime-scene-4514 html Excerpt: One of the most valuable tools in criminology is the ability to test evidence for DNA samples. A positive DNA match can place a suspect at the scene of a crime even when there are no witnesses, making the investigator's job much easier. Someone may leave DNA at a crime scene iSkin cells and hair are other ways in which a criminal may leave DNA evidence at a crime scene. Dead skin cells and hair follicles naturally fall away from the body on a regular basis, and their presence at the crime scene may provide enough information for DNA analysis….Bodily Fluids…One of the most common sources of DNA at a crime scene is a bodily fluid. Blood, saliva, sweat, urine and semen can readily provide DNA information at crime scenes, as can just about any other substance secreted or excreted by the body. Depending on the nature of the crime, one or more of these fluids may be present, and investigators…Skin and Hair: Skin cells and hair are other ways in which a criminal may leave DNA evidence at a crime scene. Dead skin cells and hair follicles naturally fall away from the body on a regular basis, and their presence at the crime scene may provide enough information for DNA analysis. In addition, if a struggle occurred, a victim might have skin cells from a criminal trapped underneath his fingernails, or could pull out hair follicles or catch…Touch DNA: Touch DNA refers to the oils and epithelial cells left whenever a person touches any object. Any time your skin contacts another surface, it may leave trace amounts of your DNA behind. In the past, the relatively small number of residual cells made this type of sample unsuitable for DNA profiling, but technology has reduced the amount of material necessary to create a DNA profile https //education seattlepi.com/can-persons-dna-found-crime-scene-4514 html [Extracted from internet 2020/02/16] ARIZONA NBC News (2018) Familial DNA puts elusive killers behind bars but only 12 staters use it. By James Rainey. https //www nbcnews com/news/us-news/familial-dna-puts-elusive-killers-behind-bars-only-12-states- n869711 Excerpt: Familial DNA puts elusive killers behind bars. But only 12 states use it. Why isn’t it used more widely? Two years into the investigation of Allison Feldman’s murder in Scottsdale, Arizona, the police had run out of options. They had interviewed more than 500 people, cataloged dozens of pieces of evidence and canvassed every house within a half mile of Feldman’s low-slung ranch home, where the popular 31- year-old saleswoman had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death.  DNA found in Feldman’s dining room and on a beer bottle had been detectives’ best lead. But, despite repeated queries, America’s vast crime databases had failed to match the DNA to a suspect.  Stymied, Scottsdale police appealed to Arizona officials to widen the parameters of the DNA search in a way the state had never done before. The detectives wanted to probe for the next best thing to a direct DNA hit — a match to anyone closely related to the mystery intruder.  About a year later, and more than three years after the grisly 2015 murder in a city known for very little violent crime, Scottsdale police and Arizona law enforcement leaders announced on April 10 that their unusual gambit had paid off.  Using software that searches for “familial” DNA links, crime lab technicians found a near match with an Arizona prison inmate. Days later, Scottsdale police arrested the inmate’s brother, Ian L. Mitcham, and charged him with Feldman’s murder.  “It was like ‘Wow! It actually worked.’ I couldn’t believe we had finally gotten to this point,” said Sgt. Hugh Lockerby, Scottsdale’s top violent crimes investigator. “It’s a real success story.” https //www nbcnews com/news/us-news/familial-dna-puts-elusive-killers-behind-bars-only-12-states- n869711 COLORADO Colorado Sun (2019/07/29) DNA testing leads to break in decades-old Colorado murder case. But privacy questions are being raised.  Police used a DNA database and a fast food cup to zero in on a suspect in the 1987 death of 20-year-old Fort Carson soldier Darlene Krashoc.  By Carol McKinley https //coloradosun com/2019/07/29/colorado-cold-case-michael-whyte-darlene-krashoc/ Excerpt:  ichael Whyte drove out of a parking lot, his belly full of fast food lunch, oblivious that police detectives had been watching him eat.  Now, they were gingerly collecting the cup they had seen him drink from just minutes earlier. The two were eager with anticipation because, after more than three decades of fruitless leads, they hoped that the answer to the mystery of who killed 20-year-old Darlene “Krash” Krashoc might be in the saliva that lined the rim of an abandoned fast food cup. The story of how Whyte surfaced after 32 years is one of hope and resilience on the part of a generation of investigators and a set of parents who still carry their daughter’s picture in their Bible. https //coloradosun com/2019/07/29/colorado-cold-case-michael-whyte-darlene-krashoc/ NEW MEXICO Carlsbad, Katie’s Law Only In Your State - New Mexico New Mexico Cold Case Solved https //www onlyinyourstate com/new-mexico/nm-cold-case-solved/ Excerpt: This Creepy New Mexico Cold Case From 14 Years Ago Has Finally Been Solved On Christmas day, in 2002, Sasha Hedgecock was discovered in an alfalfa field in Carlsbad. The 21- year-old woman had been shot seven times. She died from her injuries several days later in Covenant Medical Hospital in Lubbock. It is only now, after 14 years, that an arrest has been made in this case. And that’s due to Katie’s Law. The law was created following the 2003 rape and murder of 22-year-old Katie Sepich in Las Cruces. The original version of Katie’s Law, which passed in 2006, mandated that anyone arrested for a violent felony had to provide authorities with a DNA sample. Such samples could then be run against evidence from other open cases. In 2011, the lawmakers unanimously voted to expand the law to require samples from anyone arrested for a felony crime. It has resulted in over 500 DNA matches, including the one in this case. https //www onlyinyourstate com/new-mexico/nm-cold-case-solved/ APD New DNA Equipment KRQE (2020/02/03) New DNA equipment will help APD solve crimes faster.  By Brittany Bade https //www krqe com/news/albuquerque-metro/new-dna-equipment-will-help-apd-solve-crimes- faster/ Excerpt:  Getting a DNA match will soon take a fraction of the time, that it takes now. Albuquerque Police Department’s new state of the art DNA lab is just weeks away from being fully up and running. “Before it would take at least 2-3 weeks and I’m really hoping we can get down to a week,” said Andrew Dowling, the DNA Technical Leader…Bought with money from last year’s legislature, three new specialty machines are now housed at APD’s crime lab. One is meant specifically for rape cases. “It would take any of the victim’s cells, separate those off, and then we’re left with just the sperm cells,” said Dowling. The machine uses a centrifuge to separate all the DNA, and give analysts a “clean” sample in just 90 minutes. The backlogged rape kits should all be tested within the next few months, and when they are APD believe these machines will help them quickly start testing another backlog. “We have about 4,000 property crime cases we’re trying to get through,” said Commander Christopher George with the Albuquerque Police Department. The Qiagen Machine can test up to 84 samples at a time at the APD lab. Ultimately, this frees up time and money at the state lab which allows them to help other agencies across the state. https //www krqe com/news/albuquerque-metro/new-dna-equipment-will-help-apd-solve-crimes- faster/