Saturday, July 23, 2005
 
Irony Alert
A murder victim and DNA evidence on the scene, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on a lack of progress with unintentional irony:
    But investigators have a growing list of people who did not kill Angela Lee.

    That list has been compiled with the help of DNA evidence, found at the scene, that has been compared with voluntary DNA submissions from "people of interest," said Mike Sheeley, a master sergeant with the Illinois State Police.

    About 30 people have been cleared after giving DNA samples at the request of authorities, he said.

    It's one example of how the science of DNA is helping to solve crimes that aren't easily solved - including crimes in a village surrounded by corn fields.
No, dear Post-Dispatch reporter, this is not an example of how DNA is solving crimes. As a matter of fact, it illustrates the opposite, perhaps: DNA evidence alone will not solve a crime.

Now, 30 "persons of interest"--that is, suspects without the presumption of innocence--have now logged their most personal essence permanently within the law enforcement machine for nothing but for the right to be not suspected of a crime they didn't commit. And the killer remains at large.

Perhaps if we had a nationwide database of all DNA, excised from birth. But we'd also have the same, or better, crime closure rate if the state merely implanted us with chips at birth. Somewhere where we can't pull them out before committing crimes, like in the brain.

A matter of degree, not kind, my friends. And we're giving up the kind rather easily.


- posted by Brian J. @ 9:47 PM
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