DNA Day Postponed

As you know, this Office scheduled a “DNA Drive Day” for June 17, 2023. Considering the weather forecast and the reasons discussed below, this outdoor event has been POSTPONED.

The genesis of this event is our firm belief that the use of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) is revolutionizing the identification of missing and unidentified children and adults and the criminal investigation of long uncharged or “cold cases.” The Office’s Cold Case Unit, established by DA Ryan in 2019, recently solved a sexual assault case using FIGG and continues to use it to move investigations forward.  As an office that strives to be the most innovative public prosecutor’s Office in the country, we are committed to the use of this tool and have retained a preeminent forensic genealogist to assist us.

Since our Office is at the forefront of this work, we recognize that we will inevitably encounter novel legal, ethical and privacy questions. When we began to publicize this event, we were greeted by both excitement and interest, as well as valid questions. We have already engaged with a local chapter of the ACLU around their questions and concerns, convening discussions between DA Ryan, our experts and representatives from the ACLU and agreeing to incorporate their input.  We believe that the community will best be served by further conversation.

We remain committed to being transparent and thorough when it comes to informing the public about the privacy expectations of those who voluntarily donate their DNA to a genetic genealogy database. District Attorney Ryan thanks the ACLU for sharing its good faith questions and concerns and we look forward to continuing to learn from each other and from other important stakeholders.

You can visit our website to learn more about FIGG and how genetic genealogy databases are used here: https://www.middlesexda.com/home/pages/dna-drive-day

If you would like to be involved in this ongoing conversation, please let us know by emailing us at mdaoinfo@mass.gov.

Thank you,

Marian