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State Has Tested 13,000 Rape Kits For Possible DNA Matches
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The state says forensic scientists from its Bureau of Criminal Investigation have now tested more than 13,000 rape kits submitted by law enforcement agencies around Ohio to check for possible DNA matches.
Attorney General Mike DeWine released the latest numbers on Wednesday. Officials have said that testing has helped identify hundreds of alleged attackers.
DeWine launched the initiative in 2011 to check previously untested kits for evidence. Authorities from nearly 300 law enforcement agencies have submitted over 13,900 rape kits, including some that were decades old. As of Oct. 1, the state had tested 13,145 of those kits.
An Ohio law that went into effect in 2015 requires that any newly collected rape kits be turned over within 30 days after an agency determines a crime has been committed.