Was Idaho Quadruple Murder Suspect Nabbed by DNA from Open Source Databank?

CNN is reporting that the suspect in the Idaho quadruple homicide, Bryan Kohberger, was pounced on by police after unknown DNA at the scene of the crimes was matched to one of his relatives on a site popular with the public for tracing ancestry. CNN did not name its source for this information and is the only news outlet reporting this development. Moscow police have warned against taking information from any source other than official channels due to the massive amounts of misinformation that have been circulating since the murders happened.

If, however, CNN’s source is correct, it could explain why the FBI was tailing Kohberger for four days before an arrest was made. Detectives have been known to retrieve DNA from a suspect’s garbage cans or drinkware left behind in a restaurant in order to confirm their suspicions.

Genetic genealogy helped investigators identify the suspect, a source with knowledge of the case said. DNA found in Idaho was taken through a public database to find potential matches for family members, the source said. Once potential family matches were found, subsequent investigative work by law enforcement led to the identification of Kohberger, according to the source.

Kohberger, a criminology student at Washington State University — only a short drive away from the University of Idaho — who was pursuing a doctorate, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary, which is defined in Idaho as entering with the intention to commit murder. The charges stem from the night of November 13 when four students at the University of Idaho, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death as they slept in a house just off campus. – READ MORE