NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New technology could soon be available in New Orleans that can quickly link suspects to unsolved crimes where matching DNA evidence was collected.
In 2016, a woman was violently attacked and raped while she jogged on the levee in Algiers. DNA evidence was collected and entered into CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, a computer software program that operates local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons.
Two years later, another woman attacked and raped in Algiers. DNA evidence was again collected.
Louisiana State Police linked the DNA to both rapes, confirming the same suspect committed both crimes, but it was unclear who that person was.
