Unsolved crimes could be solved in Quebec thanks to the use of new genetic analysis technologies, estimates the Laboratory of judicial sciences and legal medicine of Quebec (LSJML), which confirmed for the first time, Tuesday, to use them .
During a technical presentation intended for the media held following the publication of many files solved thanks to these technologies in the United States and in Ontario, two officials of the LSJML said they were hopeful to see the same thing happen here. .
“Obviously, these technologies have a lot of potential, we are actively working on certain cases, we have a lot of hope that certain cases will be resolved by these new investigative techniques”, indicated the Director General of Biology/DNA of the Laboratory, Diane Séguin.
These technologies (explained below) use DNA left behind by suspects at crime scenes in different ways to guide investigators and identify suspects. There is therefore hope for some families of victims still awaiting results, believes Diane Séguin.
“It’s quite complex”
However, she defends the cautious approach of Quebec and Canada to these new technologies now used on a regular basis in the United States to solve old crimes.
“It takes time to set up, this kind of technology, it takes time to acquire these devices […], we have quality standards, there is the whole legal system, she listed. It is quite complex and that does not mean that we are not working on these files. »
Diane Séguin declined to comment on the legal implications of using these new technologies; the use in court of the evidence gathered through them has not yet been tested in Quebec. However, the LSJML claims to be in discussion with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), its police partners and the coroners in order to move forward on this front.
specific cases
This new arsenal is not intended for all investigations either, indicates the LSJML, but will be used above all for the identification of bodies, to solve old “cold cases” and serious crimes where public safety is threatened, for example to identify a serial sex offender still at large.
The LSJML declined to comment on specific issues. The first case to have been solved in Canada thanks to these new methods of genetic analysis is that of the murder of Christine Jessop, recalled Diane Séguin.
The killer of the 9-year-old girl, whose 1984 kidnapping and death shocked Canada and resulted in the conviction of an innocent, was identified by Toronto police 36 years later using her DNA, in 2020 .
Here is, in brief, the new technologies used by the LSJML
genetic genealogy
Genetic genealogy allows the DNA of a suspect found at a crime scene or human remains to be matched with that of millions of DNA profiles that end up in many genealogy databases powered by people who make their tree online genealogy. The key to this technique is that it can work even if a suspect has never provided their DNA to anyone.
Phenotyping
Through the analysis of DNA left at the scene of a crime, phenotyping can determine certain characteristics of the physical appearance of the suspect, for example the color of his eyes, his hair, his skin and his sex. . Useful in some cases to direct investigators to a type of individual if there are several suspects or missing persons, this technology is however limited.
DNA networks
This technology, which goes further than traditional DNA analysis, makes it possible to link individuals to each other based on the common files in which their DNA was found. It allows authorities to have an overview of possible links between individuals who make up criminal gangs.
PatronYme
This technology consists of using the Y chromosome, transmitted from father to son, as a lead in unsolved cases by exploiting the paternal lines to find an individual thanks to his surname. As, in principle, the male individuals of the same lineage all have the same surname, the PatronYme technology will identify certain names likely to correspond to that of the suspect.
Rapid DNA Service
In order to help the authorities in urgent cases, such as a disappearance or a threat to public safety, the LSJML is now able to establish, thanks to a fully automated process, genetic profiles for comparison purposes in two or only three hours. This process, which only works with a sufficient quantity of DNA, is however carried out with the help of a portable device that the LSJML is in the process of acquiring.