Phantom killer was a myth: Police track DNA of a cotton bud maker for two years

Bild ^ | 3/26/09

[Tijeras_Slim]

OJ’s gonna be dissapointed.

[muawiyah]

ROTFLMAOPMP.

Almost choked on my bier.

[GeronL]

quality control ain’t what it used to be.

her 15 minutes of ‘fame’ sure stink huh?

[Travis T. OJustice]

Police in Germany hunted a sinister phantom killer for two years after finding the same DNA at 39 different crime scenes - only to discover that the source was a woman who made the cotton buds used to collect the sample!

LMAO!

[allmendream]

When I used to ID type convicted felons for entry into the federal CODIS database; one of the FIRST things they did was to get my genetic ID on file.

On the one hand, if any sample ever comes up with my ID it is obviously suspect and as such is thrown out and the original blood sample reanalyzed.

On the other hand, I am now in the federal data base with all the convicted felons.

But on the gripping hand, I don’t plan on any interstate crime sprees where my DNA would be left behind on any murder or rape victims; as I am a law abiding citizen.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

how could they not realize? they must have caught people for some of those crimes.

[BGHater]

Not uncommon of late. Similar.

Look out for Prawo Jazdy on the roads.

The mystery of Ireland's worst driver

[JimRed]

Those things aren’t machine made? Who knew?

[Doomonyou]

"Oh!, I was supposed to wear these?"

[Graybeard58]

That was very clever of her, leaving her DNA on all those cotton swabs and then going out and killing people. She has committed the perfect crime(s).

[Reeses]

Revenge by framing someone with their DNA is so easy these days.

[Lurker]

as I am a law abiding citizen.

That's what they all say.

Nice Pournelle reference btw....the gripping hand.

[Liberty1970]

This is a bit disappointing in terms of their failure to account for the possibility of contamination. As a quality engineer, I’d say their problem solving methodology was pretty stunted. There is a point at which they should have sat back in their chairs and said, “OK, now what _other_ explanations could there be for this recurrent, omnipresent DNA being found at all these crime scenes?” A little brainstorming should have got them the answer.

[FormerACLUmember]

Scheisskopfs! Dumkopfs!

[Billthedrill]

Aw, ya beat me to it. Fiendish woman!

[allmendream]

Well it was certainly part of my consideration when I got my DNA filed into the database....

“How likely am I to leave my DNA at any rape and murder scenes?”

I considered the likelyhood to be somewhere between slim and none.

Not just Pournelle, Also Larry Niven (a.k.a. Nevinyrral of the destroying disk).

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It's standard laboratory practice to run a reagent blank.

I bet they'll be running a blank on the cotton buds from now on.

[rednesss]

"But on the gripping hand, I don’t plan on any interstate crime sprees where my DNA would be left behind on any murder or rape victims; as I am a law abiding citizen."

What about your family members or future family members??

Genealogists have used DNA technology for years to identify unknown relatives, and law-enforcement officials have used the technology to identify criminals.

Now those two threads have merged. Today, investigators regularly use partial DNA matches to track down criminal suspects through family members who are already in a DNA databank.

[allmendream]

If a close relative of mine is committing murders or rapes I would be proud to know that it was my DNA that helped identify them.