NYC medical examiner looks at 800 rape cases for possible DNA errors

Published January 13, 2015

The New York City medical examiner is reviewing hundreds of rape cases for possible errors in DNA analysis.

A spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office says a lab technician may have mishandled critical DNA evidence in more than 800 sexual assault cases.

The office says so far, it has found at least two dozen instances in which the technician failed to detect existing biological evidence. It says in seven of the cases, new DNA profiles were developed.

In one case, the new profile matched a convicted offender's sample, leading to an indictment a decade after the evidence was collected.

In two other cases, the new DNA evidence was linked to people already convicted or under suspicion.

The cases span from 2001 to 2011.

The technician wasn't identified. She resigned in 2011.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-medical-examiner-looks-at-800-rape-cases-for-possible-dna-errors