Effort to eliminate backlog of thousands of untested rape kits nearly complete
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Since a statewide effort to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits began nearly half a decade ago, a report from last year revealed the testing is nearly complete.
A statewide audit in 2019 revealed more than 16,000 untested rape kits were sitting on the shelves of various law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement found that 11,775 of those kits were testable based on the requirements of the Survivor Act.
This led to the Attorney General’s office to partner with the state legislature to eliminate the backlog.
The 2023 State Department of Justice report revealed 93 percent of those tests have been tested.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work and a determined effort,” said Josh Stein, attorney general. “We’ve outsourced a number of kits to private vendor labs and we’re making them go as fast as they possibly can but we’re almost done.”
Attorney General Josh Stein was at Hi Wire Brewing on Thursday evening as a part of his campaign to be the state’s next governor. The meet and greet was hosted by the New Hanover County Democratic Party.
During his visit, Stein spoke about the effort to eliminate the backlog.
“We’re delivering justice to victims, we are solving cold cases, we’re putting rapists behind bars, and making our community safer,” said Stein.
Since 93 percent of the kits have been tested, it has allowed the Crime Lab to enter 4,906 new profiles in the CODIS DNA database. This work has led to CODIS (the DNA database) hits to 2,481 of those profiles. Nearly 50 percent of tested kits with an eligible CODIS profile have a CODIS hit to an existing case or known offender, allowing law enforcement to move forward in their investigations.
“There are people all over this state who experienced an awful trauma of a sexual assault 20, 30, sometimes 40 years ago,” said Stein. “Now, those poor victims are finally seeing the person who did it to them locked up and they can sleep knowing that other people are not going to be victimized either.”
As a result of DNA testing, law enforcement agencies reported approximately 174 arrests related to at least 200 crimes. This includes the conviction of a Wilmington man in a cold case from 1995.
In an effort to make sure the backlog never happens again, Stein says the State Crime Lab has improved its procedures and hired more scientists to reduce the turn around for rape kits.
