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AC Units and DNA

Loaded on June 15, 2024 by Douglas Ankney published in Criminal Legal News June, 2024, page 33
Filed under: DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences. Location: Australia.

by Douglas Ankney

 

Australian researchers at Flinders University have employed a promising new technique to collect and record forensic DNA evidence from crime scenes. A new study appearing in Electrophoresis focused on the DNA retrieved from air conditioning (“AC”) units that circulate a room’s air, including different types of filters at alternate periods.

While a crime scene may be wiped clean of fingerprints, Mariya Goray, senior lecturer in forensic science at Flinders and author of the study, said “it is very unlikely that an average offender, even with forensic awareness, could totally prevent their DNA from being released into the environment.

Samples of Environmental DNA (“eDNA”) from AC units in four offices and four houses were collected at different times following cleaning. Samples were also collected from the air. The eDNA collected on the surfaces of AC units tended to be from previous room occupants while eDNA detected in the air represented more recent occupants. Goray said “[w]e now know that eDNA shed from sources, such as skin or saliva, can be detected in the environment, including soil, ice, air and water. We may be able to use this evidence to prove if someone has been in the room, even if they wore gloves or wiped surfaces clean.”

Collection of trace DNA is growing ever more important in criminal investigations. In Australia, for example, 62% of all samples processed by Forensic Science SA were trace or touch DNA. But success rates with this type of evidence remains poor.

 

Source: forensicmag.com

More from this issue:

  1. Forensic Genetic Genealogy: Law Enforcement’s Rapid Adoption Outpacing Adoption of Laws and Ethical Guidelines Regulating Its Use, by Matthew Clarke
  2. HRDC Files Civil Rights Action on Behalf of Wrongly Convicted Florida Man Who Spent 45 Years in Prison, by Sam Rutherford
  3. California Supreme Court: Defendant Has Due Process Right to Notice of Prosecution’s Election to Seek Enhanced Sentence in Order to Make Key Decisions About Defense, by Douglas Ankney
  4. University of New Hampshire Designs a Simpler, Cost-Effective Test to Identify Touch DNA, by Jo Ellen Nott
  5. Kansas Supreme Court Announces Clarification of Framework for Deciding Whether Confession Is Voluntary and Overrules Precedents That Held Reliability of Confession Is Factor to Be Considered, by Douglas Ankney
  6. Reform-Minded Prosecutors Face Backlash for Prosecuting Bad Cops, by Sam Rutherford
  7. Decedent’s End-of-Life Condition and Toxicology May Alter Time-of-Death Estimation, by Douglas Ankney
  8. Fourth Circuit Vacates Where Instructions Failed to Inform Jury That Mens Rea of ‘Knowingly or Intentionally’ Applies to ‘Except as Authorized’ in 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), by Douglas Ankney
  9. Junk Science Convicted an Innocent Sailor, DNA Exonerated Him Decades Later with the Help of the Innocence Project, by Jo Ellen Nott
  10. Third Circuit Denies Prosecutor’s Claim of Absolute Immunity Where Wrongfully Convicted Man’s Complaint Alleged Facts Sufficient to Support Finding That Prosecutor’s Actions Served ‘Investigatory Function’, by Douglas Ankney
  11. New York Court of Appeals: Dismissal Required Where Prosecution Failed to Explain Repeated Requests for Post-Readiness Adjournment, by Sam Rutherford
  12. Delaware Supreme Court: Warrant That Authorized Search of ‘Any and All’ Data of Named Files on Cellphone Is Invalid General Warrant That Also Failed to Include Temporal Limitation, by Douglas Ankney
  13. Colorado Supreme Court Announces Parole Board Not Statutorily Required to Consider ‘Demonstrated Maturity and Rehabilitation’ When Deciding Whether to Release Sex Offenders Who Received Adult Sentences for Crimes Committed as Juveniles, by Sam Rutherford
  14. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Affirms Trial Court’s Exclusion of Expert Testimony on iPhone’s Frequent Location History Data as Not Sufficiently Reliable Under Daubert-Lanigan Standard, by Douglas Ankney
  15. DOJ Creates Database to Track Federal Law Enforcement Officers Accused of Misconduct, by Sam Rutherford
  16. Misuse of Facial Recognition Technology Threatens Everyone, by Michael Thompson
  17. Idaho Supreme Court Admitting Video of Child-Witness Interviews at Trial Violates Confrontation Clause, by Sam Rutherford
  18. Bluetooth Surveillance Tool Added to List of Known Cache of DHS’ Surveillance Technology, by Douglas Ankney
  19. California Court of Appeal: Statistical Evidence Showing Racial Disparity Combined With Evidence Showing Non-Minority Defendants Charged With Lesser Crimes Establishes Prima Facie Case Under California Racial Justice Act, by Douglas Ankney
  20. AC Units and DNA, by Douglas Ankney
  21. Indiana Supreme Court Clarifies Framework for Determining When Courts May Apply Cash Bail to Public-Defender Costs and to Fines, Costs, and Fees, by Douglas Ankney
  22. Changes to Appeals of Pretrial Detention Decisions Prompts Illinois Supreme Court to Adopt Changes to Appellate Rules, by Douglas Ankney
  23. First Circuit: Defendant Did Not Understand Consequences of Guilty Plea Because District Court and Counsel Led Him to Reasonably Believed Plea Agreement Would Result in Sentence Below Applicable Mandatory Minimum, by David Reutter
  24. U.S. Sentencing Commission Votes Unanimously to Restrict Use of Acquitted Conduct at Sentencing, by Sam Rutherford
  25. Report Finds Inaccurate Field Drug Tests Major Cause of Wrongful Convictions, by Matthew Clarke
  26. New Research on Predictive Models for Pediatric Head Injuries, by Jo Ellen Nott
  27. Government Accountability Office Issues a Report on DOJ and DHS Use of Facial Recognition Technology, by Michael Thompson
  28. Oregon Supreme Court Rules Police Questioning of Probationer in Probation Officer’s Secure Office Absent Miranda Warning Constitute ‘Compelling Circumstances’ and Suppresses Statements, by Anthony Accurso
  29. Landmark Drug Possession Reform Based on Unproven Allegations Reversed in Oregon, by Jo Ellen Nott
  30. Push Notifications Pull to the Forefront, by Michael Thompson
  31. Second Chances: California Clears Criminal Records, Including Violent Crimes, by Jo Ellen Nott
  32. New York Court of Appeals Overturns Harvey Weinstein’s Convictions Based on Trial Court Rulings That Admitted Prejudicial ‘Prior Bad Acts’ Into Evidence and Violated His Right to Testify in His Own Defense, by Richard Resch
  33. News in Brief

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