Thread by @antonioregalado

Two new murders potentially solved using genetic genealogy just this week. It's getting hard to keep track, there are so many.

In *thread* below I'll list all the cases, along with observations about the race of the alleged killers, and also why this raised privacy alarms

Genetic genealogy is when you use a commercial DNA profile to locate relatives in a DNA database and explore someone's family tree. New twist: use DNA left at a crime scene by a suspect (mostly as result of raping someone else) and find them that way..

List of arrests/suspects so far:

April 25- Joseph J. DeAngelo (Golden State Killer)
May 18th -William Talbott
June 22-Gary Hartman
June 25-James Otto Earhart
June 25- Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe

That's right, we heard about two only yesterday.

The Golden State case is the one where everyone realized, oh wow, you can find a killer using a commercial database of DNA profiles.

technologyreview.com/the-download/6…

Interestingly: the genealogist in that case has chosen to remain anonymous.

I corresponded with the GSK genealogist via an intermediary. The genealogist told me the choice to remain anonymous was due to safety concerns for self/family.

It's scary being a civilian and doing this. And far as I know, top notch genetic genealogists are all civilians.

In the latter 4 cases, including 2 announced yesterday, name of likely suspect provided to police by Parabon Nanolabs and genealogist @CeCeLMoore

Talbott: heraldnet.com/news/suspect-a…
Hartman: usatoday.com/story/news/nat…
Earhart: kagstv.com/article/news/l…
Rowe: people.com/crime/raymond-…

CeCe Moore is a public figure already. She's kinda famous because of her role on PBS show Finding Your Roots. Me and @BrianRAlexander profiled her in a story last week. technologyreview.com/s/611529/the-c…

In the lead of our story CeCe Moore discussed a case that troubled her--a person who killed once and went back to live a seemingly normal life.

That suspect is Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe. Arrested Monday.

As an entertainer, businessman, Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe has a big social media presence. He's a public person. Also allegedly killed a schoolteacher 25 years ago.

Consider: CeCe Moore had the strange experience of starting from an unknown person's DNA profile and ending up on a social media profile.

Think about that!

Big, but as yet poorly understood privacy concerns if ANYONE can be identified from a DNA sample. @erlichya recently raised the scenario of secret agents true identity being identified by, say, Russia.

https://twitter.com/erlichya/status/1010466745474342914

I used to know some technicians in the NYC Medical Examiner's lab. They had all been DNA typed (to detect accidental contamination).

So, their little society was a picture of what is to come, of total DNA transparency.

They would do stuff like find out who stuck gum under the table. Also, who was peeing on the toilet seat in the bathroom.

So There’s a second technology at play: environmental DNA sampling. Once police get a name they tail the suspect and try to get some DNA he leaves behind. To make the match to crime scene sample. Police have gotten DNA from:
- a car door handle
- a straw
- a paper napkin

Imagine storm troopers of a repressive regime descending on a meeting place of the resistance. Just swab the whole place and find out who was there from DNA left behind.

Technically, total DNA de-anonymity is possible. Far as I know there’s no law, no protection, against identifying you from your DNA.

In crime cases, being done by “amateur” using a database (GEDmatch) that itself is highly informal.

No rules!

How long till go out of control?

Bloomberg reporter weighing in to say flood gates are open.

https://twitter.com/kristenvbrown/status/1011695185003081728

Another genealogist @DebbieKennett said she was surprised the open DNA database in use, GEDmatch, had not shut itself down. I think this could still happen. If so, the age of genetic genealogy crime fighting will end abruptly as it began in April.

Needs to be said that 23andMe and ancestry.com, the two biggest dna databases, don’t let you upload data (only send in spit) and have resisted police inquiries. But I wonder how long till served with a warrant. Public interest in finding a CURRENT serial killer, say.

Should GEDmatch, the mom and pop open database of DNA profiles, shut itself down now that it’s being used to identify criminals from DNA?

All the murderers caught so far with genetic genealogy are also rapists. They left DNA behind.

They are also all white men (tho DJ Freez is 1/2 Puerto Rican). This is no accident...

Genealogy databases are mostly populated with people with northwest Europe origins. So that is whose relatives you can find. Tablotts and Hartmans.

In other word, genealogy databases have a “reverse bias”.

Whereas police/FBI databases of felons’ DNA profiles (also used for family searches) have regular bias, in that minorities are over represented.

But the victims in these old crimes (20 to 30 years ago) are also white. That could explain why there was evidence collected, saved, and why police still care about them today

I could go on but instead

/END