TrueAllele helps resolve Texas double murder DNA case

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15-Jun-2018

27 zeros in 24 hours


Pittsburgh, PA

The call came on a calm Tuesday morning. “We need your report in 24 hours.” It was a hard deadline. Court? Serial rapist? Mass disaster? No; reality television. The police were getting their DNA results – and there was no match statistic!

You can collect your biological evidence. Or send it to a crime lab. Or stare at the lab’s DNA signals. But without a valid stat saying how much your guy is (or isn’t) in that DNA, it isn’t science. It’s not getting into a courtroom.

The data rolled in at 1:45 that afternoon, and Cybergenetics set to work. We uploaded the lab’s electronic files to our TrueAllele® database. We asked the computer to separate the 4 or 5 person DNA mixture. TrueAllele was fast, giving back separated genotypes that solved the problem.

Across 8 independent computer runs, whether 4 or 5 people in the mix, the unmixed genotypes agreed. Now we could compare with the homicide suspect to get the match statistic. 27 zeros. Octillion. A DNA match between the evidence and suspect was octillion times more probable than coincidence.

One TrueAllele analyst wrote up the preliminary report. Another reviewed it. And a third scientist did a final check, and sent it off by 9 am.

10:45 am Wednesday morning, the cameras were rolling. Cybergenetics phoned in the DNA match results. TrueAllele was much appreciated. 27 zeros in 24 hours.

Cybergenetics gets reliable DNA match statistics when others can’t. TrueAllele helps crime labs, prosecutors, defenders, police, innocence groups, civil attorneys and victims who need to Know the Answer®. 27 zeros in 24 hours, ready for prime time.


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