DNA solves decades-old rape cases

Editor's Note: This article discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

CLEVELAND — A man convicted of two cold-case rapes dating back decades will spend the next 12 years in prison thanks to advanced DNA analysis being used by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

What You Need To Know The same genealogist who helped solve the Golden State Killer case is bringing justice to Ohio

Cuyahoga County is using genealogy to solved decades old rape cases

Man sentenced to 12 years in prison for rapes over 20 years old

The same technology used to bring down the Golden State Killer is now being used to solve decades-old cases right here in northeast Ohio.

“It’s a 12-year sentence. He’s ordered remanded and transported,” said Judge Hollie Gallagher Wednesday morning.

It's a sentence two decades in the making. Kenneth Edmond, 63, sentenced for rape and kidnapping in two separate cases dating back to 2000 and 2001.

“It feels like justice for the victim. As she said in her statement, she feels like he won’t be able to hurt her or hurt anyone else,” said Pauline Lewis, victim advocate for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.

But today’s sentencing wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a forensic genealogist tasked with solving cold cases. DNA collected from both rape victims showed the same man was responsible, but investigators couldn't identify him.

“It came out that there were thousands of rape kits that had not been tested,” said Mary Weston, assistant prosecuting attorney, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office. “We applied for a grant through the sexual assault kit initiative under the DOJ (Department of Justice) for $1 million to apply genealogy to some of these cases and try to identify them."

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office establishing the genetic operations linking DNA task force or GOLD in 2020.

“What we had learned was there was a known DNA profile in the sexual assault kit. It was uploaded to CODIS and it had not produced a lead in CODIS to any person,” Weston said.

CODIS is a database that helps law enforcement link crimes and identify suspects by matching DNA profiles from crime scenes with those of convicted offenders and arrestees. It's been used since 1990 but not all suspects are in the database.

“We were looking at cases going back to 1993. If that profile didn't hit somebody in CODIS, we were up against the statute of limitations. And so, we would take the case before the grand jury and indict the DNA profile,” Weston said.

Indicting the DNA profile essentially stops the clock on the statute of limitations giving the prosecutors more time to investigate the cases and that's what happened.

Prosecutors indicted the DNA profile of "John Doe #103.”

Genealogists who work with the gold unit were then able to construct a family tree, eventually connecting John Doe #103's DNA to Edmond.

“We got a search warrant for his DNA and confirmed it was him,” Weston said.

So far, 16 suspects have been identified and 23 rape cases have been solved because of the unit's work.

Lewis says work like this means a lot to survivors.

“There’s always hope. There’s a team of people here that their goal, and what they’re dedicated to is getting justice they deserve,” Lewish said.