Contaminated Sexual Assault Kits Found in Ohio

Various news sources are saying that Ohio has found that Sexual Assault evidence kits they use have been contaminated at the time of production. Ohio like many states uses a standardized kit for the collection of evidence in cases of rape. These kits are used in the hospital for collecting evidence from the victim of the crime.

According to the article on Cleveland.com the state had already changed to a new kit. Some old kits from a past vendor were still sitting unused in storage at various hospitals around the state.

Complaints about the old sexual assault kits had been filed after kits were found missing parts or containing the improper steps. The crime lab began to suspect an issue when five unrelated cases had the same unidentified DNA profile found.

What was even more telling was the fact that in these five cases four a suspect was known. In these four cases the victim knew her attacker, so called “Date Rape” is the most common form of sexual assault. So this unknown profile was not a serial criminal, it was some kind of contamination.

Now I don’t know what company Ohio had used, and I do not know who they currently use. But this does show then need to use a reputable source for crime scene processing supplies. Many of the big name companies have become brand-names for a reason.

Some people I know turn their noses up at the brand-name forensic supply companies. They say that these companies are more expensive, and all you are paying for is that name on the box. I disagree, you are getting more than a name on a box. You are also getting a guarantee that the product is top quality. Think of it this way, if a major brand-name puts out an inferior product they have a lot more to lose than some generic brand company.

Again I don’t know who Ohio got their old kits from. I would venture to guess it was a generic brand company, and I hope that today they are getting kits from a better source.