DNA testing and other technological advances have helped the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) in solving cold cases, including a 17-year-old armed robbery case.
Forensic examinations and DNA testing led to the resolution of 2,565 cases across the nation last year, bureau section head Yao Ching-yue (姚景岳) told a briefing on Wednesday.
Nine were cold cases, which had for years remained unresolved, or without confirmed identification of the perpetrators, and required more evidence from other sources or new witness testimony, Yao said.
“The key to solving these cold cases and bringing the suspects to justice was the establishment of a DNA database in 2012,” Yao added.
DNA databases and profiling have been in use in other countries, so forensic experts can conduct DNA tests and match them with evidence gathered at crime scenes, he said, adding that they were pivotal in the bureau solving so many crimes within a short period and for police to arrest suspects.
The work involved taking biological samples to extract DNA and adding them to the database, which has helped to convict offenders on charges ranging from robbery to illegal drugs, assault resulting in injury or death, and other violent crimes, as well as criminals with a record of recidivism, said Huang Nu-en (黃女恩), chief of the Forensic Biology Division, who is also in charge of the bureau’s Forensic Examination Center.
Huang cited the resolution of an armed robbery case in Taichung in 2002.
Police had initially arrested the wrong man, and it had remained a cold case until last year, when DNA evidence from a man surnamed Lee (李) with repeat drug convictions was forwarded to the bureau, Huang said.
“It was done by taking a saliva sample from Lee. We then ran the DNA result through the database for cold cases, and found that it matched DNA from the Taichung armed robbery in 2002,” she said.
It was a big boost for the bureau, Yao said, adding that it also solved four other armed robbery cases, two 13-year-old cases, one from 11 years ago and one from two decades ago.
DNA testing had also solved three major sexual assault cases, with two from 10 years ago, and one from 16 years ago, Yao said.
Huang said that when her staff receives biological samples relating to a crime, they extract DNA, which requires sequencing and analysis, then enter it into the database, and run it through the computer for matches with DNA on file and evidence gathered from criminal cases.
“Usually it takes one day of work to check for a match on the DNA database, while our staff takes about one month to complete one whole batch of DNA extraction and input to the database,” she said.
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