logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
18m 11s

Family tree DNA data crack cold cases

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In the US - but increasingly in other countries too - cold case murder, sexual assaults, and unidentified person cases once thought unsolvable are being cracked thanks to the proliferation of public genetic databases. But with this success come deep worries for our DNA data. Ivana Davidovic talks to Brett Williams, the CEO of Verogen - the owner of GEDMatch consumer DNA database - about their business decision to cooperate with the police, privacy concerns and new opportunities opening up in countries like Mexico and Vietnam. We also hear from Tina Franke, whose daughter Christine Franke was murdered in Florida in 2001. She speaks of her relief at the unexpected progress in the investigation after almost two decades. Professor Andrew MacLeod tells us about his project - in conjunction with King's College London - to harness forensic genealogy to identify perpetrators of sexual violence in the aid industry. And law professor Natalie Ram explains the pioneering legislation being brought in the US state of Maryland designed to regulate the industry much more tightly.

PHOTO: Forensic scientist collecting evidence/Getty Images

Up next
Today
The cocoa conundrum
<p>Can Europe be weaned off cheap chocolate? EU efforts to block cocoa linked to deforestation were due to come into force at the end of this year – but have faced multiple delays. Another vote is due to take place soon. Some parties are pushing for further delay and modification ... Show More
20m 42s
Yesterday
Is this the end for South East Asia's scam centres?
<p>It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. </p><p>But now these centres could ... Show More
18m 29s
Nov 24
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
Genetics and the longer arm of the law
It is almost 40 years since Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys discovered genetic fingerprints in his University of Leicester laboratory. Now DNA is an integral part of criminal investigations worldwide, providing vital evidence to secure convictions and exonerate the innocent.But the e ... Show More
38m 21s
Jan 2023
Episode 219: The advances in DNA technology helping to solve the world's most-puzzling cold cases
ONE was a high-flying 22-year-old career girl whose father was a multi-millionaire, the other a recently-divorced mother of four who was a popular social worker caring for underprivileged kids.Erin Gilmour and Susan Tice suffered terrible deaths just months apart in the 1980s in ... Show More
29m 54s
Jun 2022
Condo Killings
In May of 2011, high school sweethearts and avid church-goers, Bill and Peggy Stephenson, are found dead in their condo in Florence, Kentucky. The crime scene is so bizarre that the FBI has stated that the perpetrator has a pathology they only see in 1% of criminals. Detective Co ... Show More
30m 44s
Jun 2019
A New Way to Solve a Murder, Part 1: The Genetic Detectives
<p>A year after police used a genetic database to help identify a suspect in the Golden State Killer case, the same technique has been used to arrest dozens of people. Now, for the first time, one of those cases is headed to trial. In Part 1 of a two-part series, we look at the t ... Show More
25m 26s
Jan 2022
Secret Sex Life Revealed After Millionaire Dentist-Wife "Commits Suicide" on African Safari With Hubby
<p>On a big game trip to Zambia, Bianca Rudolph is killed by a gunshot to the chest. It's ruled an accident, Or was it suicide? That's something that husband, Dr. Lawrence Rudolph says was a possibility. Now, US investigators say Rudolph killed his wife in order to collect on her ... Show More
39m 49s
Mar 2023
The First DNA Murder Conviction
After two teenage girls were murdered in their tiny English village, lead detective David Baker looks to Dr. Alec Jeffreys for help. Less than a dozen miles away from the crime scene, Jeffreys has been studying the human genome and developed a new technology called "DNA fingerpri ... Show More
53m 40s
Nov 2020
Valentine’s Dance abduction-murder solved by DNA? Bethany Decker disappearance: Boyfriend charged
Carla Walker was kidnapped from her boyfriend’s car after a Valentine's Day high school dance in 1974, and was found brutally murdered three days later. A Texas man has been arrested after the Othram Inc. forensic laboratory identified a genetic profile in the cold case. Plus, a ... Show More
55m 6s
Mar 2023
BEST OF CRIME WORLD: Why DNA evidence could solve the 'Kerry Baby' murder case (Repost)
The shock arrest of a man and a woman by officers investigating the case of the Kerry Baby could bring to an end the mystery of who the parents of the child are.But however Baby John came to wash up on a beach with multiple stab wounds remains a mystery. This week Crime World rep ... Show More
26m 12s
May 2019
Heart deaths, Organised crime and Gender data gaps
Are deaths from heart disease on the rise?This week the British Heart Foundation had us all stopping mid-biscuit with the news that the number of under 75s dying from cardiovascular disease is going up for the first time in half a century. It sounds like bad news – but is it?Does ... Show More
27m 57s