Genealogy site: How detectives nabbed suspect
Investigators desperate to solve a notorious cold case played the role of consumers interested in their family tree as they used an open-source genealogy website to identify the suspected Golden State Killer, prompting questions about whether increasingly popular DNA analysis sites should be utilized for more than just digging into one’s heritage.
Officials at GEDmatch, a DNA analysis firm that is little known outside of genealogy buffs, confirmed Friday that detectives armed with DNA evidence recovered from old crime scenes had used their website in a bid to find
a relative of the target and then narrow the pool of suspects.
Investigators said that pool included Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, an ex-cop and grandfather living quietly in Citrus Heights. Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies then shadowed him and collected an item he had discarded that contained his DNA.
After a match was purportedly made to the original crime-scene sample, authorities named DeAngelo as the serial criminal also known as the East Area Rapist, whose reign of terror included 12 slayings and around 50 rapes in California from 1976 to 1986.
GEDmatch officials said they had been unaware before this week that police were using their website to help identify the Golden State Killer. While some genealogy advocates applauded the novel use of the DNA tool in the case, other experts raised concerns that it could represent the tip of the iceberg in how such information is used.
“How frequently does law enforcement use this tactic?” asked Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The move, she said, could create tension when “law enforcement can use these sites the same way that researchers and you and I can.”
DNA testing kits have exploded in popularity in recent years, as more people become interested in learning about their family histories. There are a multitude of websites available for this purpose, such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe, but with so many sites available it lessens the chance that relatives will be able to find one another on the same site.
GEDmatch, a no-frills, open-source website, fills that gap by allowing users to upload all of their raw data files from various sites. This information is then turned into a standardized data set that can be cross-referenced with other uploads to the site, according to GEDmatch. Uploading is voluntary, and the site says it’s not affiliated with any other testing companies.
GEDmatch founder Curtis Rogers told the Associated Press on Friday he was concerned that law enforcement had used the site without notice.
“This was done without our knowledge, and it’s been overwhelming,” he said.
Investigators had a DNA profile of the suspected killer for decades, but the evidence did not match any of the criminal databases typically used by law enforcement. In this case, authorities would have uploaded DNA found at crime scenes to create an ancestry kit that was compliant with the website’s terms.
The match — or familial connection — that led detectives to DeAngelo could have been with anyone who uploaded information to the site, from a sibling or cousin to a distant relative. Using that information, investigators would be able to create a family tree by using other public information, such as social media posts, obituaries or other genealogical websites, said Kitty Cooper, a volunteer with GEDmatch.
From there, authorities narrowed down the pool of suspects. They were looking for a man of a certain age who lived in certain places and had other specific characteristics.
“We’re excited this guy was caught, but we just think that if the results are going to be used — that’s fine — but we just want to know up front,” said Cooper, who compared the use of GEDmatch in this case to how the site would help someone find a biological parent.
But, she said, the case of the Golden State Killer has left the genealogy community with mixed feelings.