No expectation of DNA privacy

Major Variola (ret.) mv at cdc.gov
Fri May 23 07:56:47 PDT 2003


If you think obtaining DNA samples from crime suspects by getting them
to lick
envelopes or postage stamps is illegal trickery by police, it isn't.

On Tuesday, Seattle police arrested a suspect in the 20-year-old killing
of a
13-year-old Magnolia girl on the basis of DNA evidence obtained from an
envelope the suspect had licked and sent to Seattle.

Such methods, police and others say, are simply a newer version of a
time-tested practice  deceiving suspects into unwittingly giving up
information
or evidence.

Police and prosecutors would not
elaborate on the ruse used to collar the
man, John Nicholas Athan, except to say
that Athan, who now lives in New Jersey,
was led to believe he would receive
money or the like if he responded to the
letter mailed him months ago from the city
of Seattle.

Saliva left on the envelope provided
enough material for investigators here to
get a DNA profile and match that with DNA found at the crime scene.

<snip>
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134790968_dna22m.html





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