She Helped Crack the Golden State Killer Case. Here’s What She’s Going to Do Next.

When I joined the "23&me" club a few years ago I found it fascinating. There was so much information, for instance, I do not have the genetic marker for a unibrow, whew. But I guessed the really interesting connections would be about finding people, relatives and perhaps criminals. Barbara Rae-Vent, you rock!

There will an incredible surge of cold case killings solved, probably soon, as 23AndMe and Ancestry.com make their genetic databases available to the government. After that they will sell all that data to the insurance companies for them to charge individuals different rates because of their families genetics. It will happen. There's too much money involved for it not to happen.

“There are people who are self-proclaimed ‘search angels.’ They are charging adoptees money and they really don’t know what they are doing.." She does not seem appreciate the privacy issue (which is mostly what people are concerned about how turning genealogy over to law enforcement can have unintended consequences), but rather, she's concerned about business practice. For those who voluntarily upload their DNA materials for the world to see/use, it's their choice. What I'm more concerned about, is the knock-on effects of those never submit or agree to exposing their own DNA, yet would still be caught in the dragnet from genealogists and law enforcement. While catching #GSK is definitely a good thing, the potential implications in the future can be much more far-reaching, and sinister.

Americans should learn to embrace new technology with an open mind. They should take a lesson from the thousands of Dutch who contributed their DNA voluntarily to solve a cold case. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/world/europe/netherlands-murder-dna.html New technology has the potential to make us healthier and safer so why give unreasonable space to the doubting thomases all the time.

Society has no obligation to protect the privacy of murderers. I fully support this effort. The benefits far outweigh any potential harms.

The privacy issue is misunderstood and alarmist. People who test with DNA companies can do so in complete privacy. Everyone who uploads DNA data to GEDmatch chooses to be there. I compare it to the phone book, which in Perry Mason days was a tool in police investigations. Some people are listed, some people are unlisted, and some people do not have a landline. Some people are in GEDmatch, some people are only in the paid (private) sites, and some people have not done DNA testing at all. By looking in a phone book for John J. Smith you might also find a John J. Smith, Jr. or Mary Smith listed at the same address. You might make an educated guess that they are John J. Smith’s son and John J. Smith’s wife, daughter, or sister. A genealogist, or detective, would still have to prove the relationship with traditional documentation or DNA. Look up your own name in whitepages.com – you will find your prior addresses and close relatives listed, even if you have never had a DNA test. The Golden State Killer raped and murdered dozens of people. Identifying him and people like him is a good thing. There are also many thousands of Jane and John Does who have never been identified. Providing answers to their families would be a good thing, too.

There were several male murder victims, as he killed several couples and a father trying to protect his daughter from abduction.

She is certainly clever. However, the victim NEVER receives justice because the victim is dead. And the murderer ALWAYS gets away with it because even if you execute the murderer, the victim is still dead and her/his family is still devastated. NO ONE really gets closure in a murder case. That's just a bunch of psychobabble.

Too much of a slippery slope for me. Just like Facebook, right? Only here you don’t loose your privacy unless it’s used? Welcome to DJT’s America

There are several issues here. 1-One is how reliable is this technology. It could be the holy grail or more likely an unproved technology that will be tossed on the dust heap of history like teeth prints, ballistics, lie detector tests etc.etc. 2-As important is the gender of this person. It is important to portray her as a expert professional who happens to be a woman and not a woman who happens to be an expert professional. The former advances women, the latter retards their progress.

My rape case was solved after 18 years when the evidence kit was finally sent for testing. There was a match on CODIS. He raped another six women after me. Some of those women could have been spared. As a favor, I was asked to speak to a victim of a brutal rape which occurred in 2016. To date, there’s been no hit on CODIS for her. Familial DNA might give cops a lead to prevent further attacks by that rapist. I get the privacy issues but isn’t there a “greater good” consideration to be made?

Thank you for providing more details on that California suspect and how he was identified. There is a lot to DNA matching than original stories suggested. Details of color of eyes and a receding hairline - wow, if that's not rocket science , I mean DNA science - I don't know what it is. I wish you had told us why police cannot typically access DNA sights at least for preliminary work. If they are close to identifying - but before an arrest - of course, they must get a warrant. But to me, early and preliminary DNA investigation with these sights should be likened to knocking on doors with a mug shot. But I am no lawyer.

I would rather have humble, learned, hobbyists and volunteers show the way rather than some aggressive fame-seeking prosecutors or detectives (or genetic genealogists). The box is going to be opened, it is just a matter of timing and by whom. I’m glad it was by someone like Ms. Rae-Venter. I agree with Ms. Rae-Venter’s assessment of search-angels (especially those who charge). Some take advantage of what is inherently an emotional topic. Some folks use it to mitigate their own emotional needs.

Welcome to the field of Forensic Genetics. It's really no different than any other forensic science. Someday it will be a recognized specialty with colleges offering coursework and even degrees.

I know that no DNA service is exempt from possibly someday somehow having to turn over results to law enforcement. And genealogy enthusiasts in my circle speak highly of GEDmatch to find distant relations in foreign countries. But when I checked the site and found that it proudly announces that it cooperates with law enforcement on so-called cold cases, I decided I would never turn my data over to them. No skeletons in this closet at all, but no interest in handing over more info than anyone needs or should have. In fact, I'm pulling my account from the DNA service I have used.

Curiosity killed the Cat. In our age of the internet, there are so many promises that carry a requisite cost. Would you like "free" access to information or a service? Tell me a little about your "self". I have done genealogical research for my family using paper records, manifests and property deeds that I either investigated or were provided by my progenitors. It can be an arduous process that requires perusing miles of microfiche and volumes of old documentation written by individuals with interesting penmanship. While it is tempting to short circuit this archaic process by using some genetic analysis company with seductive advertising, I won't. I would no sooner share my Social Security number, let alone my far more personal DNA sequence. While Ms. Rae-Venter's work is impressive, she seems to recognize the double-edged sword that it represents. Juries will be ill-equipped to understand the underlying science that may be mischaracterized by zealous prosecutors. Will this technology lead to more effective police work and fewer incorrect convictions, or create a Kafkaesque system wherein the evidence is considered unassailable under the guise of science. I believe that the risk may be greater than the reward.