ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia is steps closer to solving unsolved rape cases, including some in the Roanoke Valley.
Nearly 1,800 previously untested kits from before 2014 have now been tested as part of the attorney general's effort to eliminate the state's rape kit backlog.
Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced Wednesday the completion of the first phase of his ongoing project to eliminate Virginia’s rape kit backlog. The testing is part of Herring’s $3.4 million project, in conjunction with the Department of Forensic Science and local law enforcement, to completely eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits, and to transform the way Virginia responds to sexual violence.
As of Jan. 30, 1,770 kits have been tested, including kits that had gone untested for decades.
Of the new tests, 568 DNA profiles have been uploaded into CODIS, the national Combined DNA Index System. According to the attorney’s general office, 239 “hits” have been sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation, including 144 “confirmatory hits” that confirmed the identity of a previously known suspect. That includes suspects confirmed with DNA in South Boston, Franklin and Galax.
DNA hits were found in 56 cases that had been previously cleared by arrest
Locally, that includes one case in Botetourt County, Ferrum College, Roanoke County and two cases in Roanoke City.
At least 58 cases have been reopened for investigation or are currently under review for potential reopening.
Previously untested rape kits have been tested from Alleghany County, Amherst County, Bedford County, Botetourt County, Campbell County, Covington, Giles County, Lynchburg, Rocky Mount, Staunton, and Wytheville.