Rapist caught after submitting DNA to ancestry website

World

Published: 2021-06-30 16:03

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 12:32


Rapist caught after submitting DNA to ancestry website
Rapist caught after submitting DNA to ancestry website

Wednesday, a 14-year-old rape case from Florida was solved after the perpetrator sent his DNA to an ancestry website.

The perpetrator, identified as Jared Vaughn was charged with rape, as his genetic code matched that of a sample taken from when he allegedly assaulted a college student in 2007.

On the night of the assault, the victim said she was intoxicated and was walking home to her dorm room at the University of Tampa. She said a man offered to walk her to her home and assaulted her upon arrival.

After matching the forensic sample with Vaughn's consumer DNA kit sample, the authorities confirmed the match with a follow-up test.

A Florida state trooper, identified as Mark Brutnell said, "Our success depends on information found in public genealogy databases, where participants - and this is important - must opt-in for law enforcement matches."

Suspects could also be implicated in crimes if their relatives upload DNA samples.