One of the most baffling questions I have thought of while listening to a podcast about the Starkville Labor Day murders is this: Why has Mississippi failed to utilize familial DNA when investigating crimes? Other states do, and it has helped capture notorious serial killers like the Golden State Killer and Grim Sleeper.
Familial DNA searching is a way of testing evidence across a state’s database to find genetically-related profiles, such as parents or siblings. It is a bit different from your typical DNA search, as stated by the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence’s “Familial DNA Searching: Current Approaches.”
According to Sarah Warnock of The Clarion Ledger, one flimsy answer law enforcement officials have given for why this procedure apparently cannot be used is “there is no definitive protocol in place.” 
Yet another question is raised: Why have we not created protocol? It has to start somewhere, right?
While Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood stated he “supports any tool that helps law enforcement do their job,” those words have yet to spark action.
The podcast which first got me interested in familial DNA is “Knock Knock: The Unsolved Murders of Betty Jones and Kathryn Crigler.” These women were murdered 28 years ago in Starkville, and police have yet to find their killer. Although strides were made using the suspect’s semen to form a fairly detailed description, the question still remains: Who did it?
Who knows if utilizing familial DNA searching will lead to the apprehension of this murderer, but it would not hurt to try.
In Episode Six, Jason B. Jones, the creator of the podcast and Betty Jones’ grandson, put it perfectly.
“The only barrier to using this tool is a piece of software that already exists,” Jason Jones said. “Just imagine if your loved one was killed, whether recently, or, in our case, 20 years ago, and you found out that there was another tool that could be used to find answers and justice. Wouldn’t you want to at least see if it could help?”
According to James Rainey of NBC News, only 12 states currently utilize familial DNA: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Mississippi is not on this list.
About a year ago, Justin Christian was the first criminal in Ohio to be identified using this method. Because Christian was not a convicted criminal, there was no match for him in the state DNA database, according to The Clarion Ledger’s Sarah Warnock. However, using the DNA of relatives on file, police found Christian, who is serving 35 years for the rape of a 6-year-old.
Another famous example is the Golden State Killer, who raped at least 50 and killed 12 in California between 1974 and 1986. This year, using familial DNA, police found Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr., and he was subsequently arrested, as stated by Aja Romano of Vox.
Romano also spoke with Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and she stressed the importance of DNA as evidence.
“The answer was and always was going to be in the DNA,” Schubert stated plainly.
According to the “Familial DNA Searching: Current Approaches” article published in 2015, there were no known cases at that point where a false association was made using this process. Meaning, the wrong brother or parent has never been convicted instead of the actual criminal.
In Episode 6 of “Knock Knock,” Jason B. Jones asks yet another important question.
“After the dozens of people that I’ve spoken to or interviewed and emailed, no one has a specific answer as to why this can’t be done in Mississippi, and specifically for Betty and Kathryn’s case. So the real question is, who can actually get this done?”
In the same episode, retired prosecutor and familial DNA expert Rockne Harmon said the state’s attorney general is the decision maker, but first, the state’s lab has to want this method.
So, Mississippi, I am calling you out. These questions demand answering, and using familial DNA could expedite the process.