With support from the National Institute of Justice, the Las
Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the state of Nevada teamed up to
reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits.
In the early 1990s, a University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)
law student was asleep in her apartment when she was attacked by an unknown
man. She was held at knifepoint and sexually assaulted before her attacker
fled.
Police investigated the crime, but were unable to identify a
suspect. During the investigation, detectives compiled a sexual assault kit,
but that kit was never tested for DNA evidence. It sat in police custody,
untested for nearly 25 years, leaving police without a suspect and a victim
without any closure.
What Is a Sexual Assault Kit?
A sexual assault kit is the cornerstone of any sexual
assault investigation, potentially holding critical DNA evidence for law
enforcement. Unfortunately, jurisdictions around the country are grappling with
how to address mounting backlogs of untested kits, some dating back to the
mid-1980s.
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