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Rape Kit DNA Came Back “Inconclusive” - What Do I Do Next?

Short answer

When a lab says the rape kit DNA is inconclusive, that does not automatically mean the DNA is unusable. It often means the lab couldn’t interpret the mixture using their standard protocols TrueAllele® technology can often recover more information from the same lab DNA data. You do not need to retest the physical item. The next step is to get the electronic DNA data files and have Cybergenetics perform a TrueAllele screening on the most probative items first.

What to do next

  1. Review the lab report and confirm what it says.
  2. Request the required electronic DNA data files (.fsa or .hid) for the rape kit samples.
  3. Include any available reference profiles.
  4. Submit a Free TrueAllele Screening inquiry.
  5. Use the screening result to decide whether a court-ready case report is worth pursuing.

What to send

  • Please do not send biological evidence. The screening uses the lab’s autosomal STR electronic DNA data files (.fsa or .hid).

Please submit:

  • For the rape kit evidence items, the lab’s electronic data (.fsa or .hid)
  • For reference profiles (victim/elimination/POI), either allele lists or electronic data files
  • Allelic ladder files for any electronic data
  • Lab reports or other case documents
  • Item ID list (which swabs/items the files belong to)
  • A case submission form with case specific information and questions (e.g., compare to POI, interpret the inconclusive mixture, compare items, etc.)

For more information on what to request from the lab, see the Sending Cases for TrueAllele Processing page.

Ready to Submit?

Tell us about your case. We’ll review it and tell you if we can get more information from the DNA data.

Free Screening

We don’t retest physical evidence items. We interpret the electronic DNA data a lab already generated.