Solving the Biggest Criminal Cases with DNA Testing
If you scan the news headlines over recent years, it’s clear to see that DNA analysis has revolutionised how police catch criminals. The DNA test is used by all sorts in society – for paternity tests for example or to identify victims of accidents, including those who died in the World Trade Centre terrorist attack. But when it comes to unlocking some of the biggest crime mysteries in history, the DNA test has played a pivotal role.
Solving Crimes
One of the huge benefits of a DNA based test is that it can prove without doubt a person’s genetic make-up and unique identity. The test is often used to solve crimes from decades ago when forensic science simply wasn’t as advanced. As well as identifying criminals or victims of crime, the DNA test can also come into play when it comes to crimes made in the name of spiritualism or religion.
‘Miracle’ Babies
A controversial preacher from Kenya claimed his prayers could help infertile couples produce ‘miracle babies’, but a series of court cases in Britain have ruled that these ‘miracle babies’ were in fact the product of child trafficking, thanks to the evidence of a DNA based test. The preacher said the power of prayer helped infertile couples give birth, but a high court judge ruled in 2004 that one of the baby’s was in fact the victim of child traffickers.
No DNA Matches
The woman who claimed to be the mother of the miracle baby said she had delivered him after a 27-day pregnancy as a miraculous gift from God. The one-year-old boy was taken into care after DNA analysis did not match either of his supposed parents. In another 2004 case, a coroner said that the test showed a baby called Sarah, who died aged three weeks, was not related to either of her alleged parents.
DNA analysis showed no Genetic Connection
In fact twenty of the “miracle babies” were taken into care after a DNA test showed they had no genetic connection to their mothers. Unfortunately, the real identity of the babies’ parents is unknown. A total of 20 children were seized from a Nairobi home, and although a DNA test has shown that the children are not miracle babies, the police have so far failed to find their real parents.
Science Not Magic
At one time in history, the strength of religious fervour could have allowed such crimes to continue. But thanks to DNA analysis, things considered once to be magic or miraculous are now explained by science. And the preacher can no longer get away with child trafficking and causing emotional damage on such a terrible scale.
