How genetic genealogy is helping solve decades-old cold cases

Investigators are increasingly using investigative genetic genealogy, a technique that compares DNA from crime scenes against public genealogy databases, to identify suspects in long-unsolved cases. The approach has proven effective at helping track down criminals who might otherwise have remained unidentified. However, the method has also raised concerns about privacy, since it can implicate people who never submitted their own DNA but share relatives who did. The article examines both the investigative value of the technology and the civil liberties questions it provokes.