An innovative New Zealand product has helped in the breakthrough of a brutal triple murder case in the US.
Three young people were slayed in the Palm Beach town of Jupiter, and while one person was arrested shortly after the murder, police were drawing a blank as to who the second person might be.
Eight months after the murder, police have arrested a second suspect thanks to the sophisticated forensic software called STRmix™ which is marketed and sold by Crown Research Institute, ESR.
STRmix uses computer software to help scientists identify individual DNA in evidence that contains up to five people’s DNA.
ESR Chief Executive Keith McLea says STRmix™ has been a breakthrough in scientists helping authorities in criminal cases.
“Prior to this scientific breakthrough, forensic scientists were not able to draw conclusions from complex mixed DNA samples.
In this case in the US, “STRmix™ allowed the software to match mixed DNA profiles directly against a database. This is a major advance for cases where there are no suspects and there is DNA from multiple contributors in one sample.”
The software was developed by ESR, with Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA). It is currently used in labs in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Dubai, Hong Kong, Finland, Switzerland and China.
In the US, STRmix™ is being used by numerous local, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michigan State Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the California Department of Justice.
For more information please contact:
Lynne St.Clair-Chapman
Communications Manager
Lynne.st.clair-chapman@esr.cri.nz
027 405 8644
