Harnessing the Power of Forensic DNA Analysis to Solve Crimes Faster

It’s been 37 years since the discovery of the first victim of the Green River Killer. Nineteen years later, Gary Ridgway was arrested as a result of DNA analysis and pled guilty to 49 murders. However, he admitted to killing between 60 and 70 women in total, making the Green River Killer the most prolific serial killer case in the US.

Dave Reichert, a retired US Congressman, King County Sheriff and King County Detective, led the investigation for a significant portion of his law enforcement career with expenditures of more than $15 million and thousands of hours. In 2001, he reopened the case, and with advances in forensic DNA technology, a suspect was identified and arrested. The killer was sentenced in 2003 to 48 life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Reichert was elected to Congress in 2005 and during his tenure he supported a number of important DNA programs, such as the Debbie Smith Act and the Katie Sepich Act.

In this video, he discusses the importance of forensic DNA analysis and how it can be used to solve crimes faster. He also shares his vision of how rapid DNA analysis may change the criminal justice system.

For research, forensic or paternity use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.