In an investigation of a crime where the suspects are identified, DNA samples obtained from the individuals are compared to evidence from the crime scene.
The comparison helps establish if the suspects were physically present at the crime scene and whether they committed the crime being investigated.
In cases where authorities have not yet identified any suspect, DNA samples collected from the crime scene will be compared to existing profiles in DNA databases.
There have been plenty of investigative success stories of how the police utilized DNA technology to determine the perpetrators of a crime, even in cold cases from decades ago. The murder of April Tinsley is an unmistakable reminder.
On a cold and stormy April 1, 1988, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, an 8-year-old April Tinsley didn’t go straight home after school.
She spent time at Nicole’s house before walking down to another friend’s house nearby to retrieve an umbrella.
It was raining, and she never took the umbrella; April disappeared somewhere in her route between West Suttenfield Street and Hogland Avenue. After early investigation, the case went cold until more than 16 years later.
10 /10 Not Home For Dinner
On April 1, 1988, the clouds appeared unfriendly in the skies over Fort Wayne, Indiana. It certainly did look like rain, but April Tinsley was still not home.
The 8-year-old, dark-eyed, blonde-haired first-grader was at Nicole’s house just two streets away from home, and she did not come home after the rain.
When there was still no sign of her by dinner time, her mother reported April missing. Nicole knew that her friend had walked toward home, but now no one knew where April was.
9 /10 Her Body Found
The worst had happened. Three days later, a jogger noticed the presence of a body in a ditch near Spencerville.
One of her shoes was located about 1,000 feet away from the location of the body. It was not surprising since the water-filled ditch was twisting through rural fields.
The police recovered a shopping bag containing a sex toy not far from the site. An autopsy revealed that April Tinsley had been sexually abused and strangled. She died of asphyxiation on the day she disappeared.