Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, DNA evidence is not like on television. You just don’t find it lying around on a rock.

Well, with a new DNA collection method based on wet-vacuum technology, sometimes you can.

This cutting-edge technology (the M-Vac System) uses a hand-held device that sprays a solution on a surface to detach and suspend target DNA material, and vacuums the fluid into a removable bottle. Using a concentrating filter apparatus or the spin method, the technology has obtained admissible results in cases where traditional methods have come up empty, including a cold case investigation conducted by the Wasatch County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office.

On Dec. 6, 1995, a local rancher and his son found the body of Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch, 17, along the Provo River near Midway. During the initial investigation, forensics examinations requested by the sheriff’s office on rocks found near the body were suggestive, but not conclusive, for DNA evidence; the sheriff’s office kept them, along with other evidence, in storage.

Some 18 years later, a private lab that had worked with the sheriff’s office on other difficult cases suggested using this new vacuum-collection technology. Wasatch County sent the rocks in for processing, and the report helped lead to an arrest the following month, in September 2013. According to Chief Deputy Jared Rigby, Wasatch County uses the Utah State Crime Laboratory for most cases, but, “When things get a little bit trickier and we need cutting-edge technology, we go to the private lab.”

Another Utah agency that also takes its tricky cases to the same private lab is the West Jordan Police Department. Senior Crime Scene Investigator Francine Bardole had researched the new technology, and when she discovered it was produced in Utah, she requested a demonstration for West Jordan administrators and herself.

“The demonstration was interesting and it just made sense,” she says. “It can be used not just to prove someone’s guilt, but also to prove someone’s innocence. We used it in one case where we had primary and secondary profiles, and neither of them matched the suspect.”

Bardole has put the technology into limited use for over a year, but she tends to be selective about employing it because of the cost involved in sending the filters to the private lab.

“I would use it so much more, but our state lab in Utah has not validated its use as other states have. When it is validated, I have no doubt, just from my own experience that it will help solve many cases,” she says.

One case Bardole did select for its use involved an incident of child sexual assault.

“I had this small pair of underwear that I had sent to the state lab. I use a laser light to look for biological fluids,” Bardole says. “The presumption test for semen was positive. I sent the item to the lab. The lab did traditional swabbing and cutting, and after several months said they found nothing of value.

“I kept thinking there had to be something. I had hardly anything left from the small pair of underwear after the lab had done several cuttings, but I used the vacuum technology on the remnants and sent the filter in for processing to the private laboratory. The lab found six male contributors on the underwear, however, only one primary DNA profile.”

She explains that doesn’t mean the crime had six perpetrators; for example, the DNA could have come from the garment’s being placed together in a laundry basket or laundered together. It was later found that the primary profile from the underwear did not match the suspect’s DNA.

“I told the laboratory we were looking for a male perpetrator, so they took out all the X chromosomes and developed only the Y chromosomes [which are unique to male DNA]. In all, it took about six weeks to get the results, and to get results from a state lab usually takes six to eight months,” Bardole says. “I think this is a cleaner way of getting DNA. It’s self-contained and I am able to submit a filter to the lab instead of bags of evidence. I believe this saves time for the laboratory, as they are overwhelmed with DNA cases.”

The vacuum technology does carry a higher price tag than conventional technology, but Bardole says it needs to be weighed against the labor hours saved and the additional time in which the perpetrator remains at large, possibly even offending again.

For more information on these agencies’ use of the forensic vacuum technology, contact Francine Bardole at francine@wjordan.com or Jared Rigby at jrigby@co.wasatch.ut.us

For information on the projects and programs of the National Institute of Justice forensics technology portfolio, contact Gerald LaPorte, Director, Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences, at Gerald.LaPorte@usdoj.gov.

Original article by Becky Lewis.  https://justnet.org/InteractiveTechBeat/eTECHBEAT/eTechbeat_JanFeb_2015/index.html

Wet-vacuum Forensic DNA Collection System Helps Investigators Solve More Crime

SALT LAKE CITY—January 15, 2015—M-Vac Systems Inc., today announced the Philadelphia PD Office of Forensic Science (OFS) has completed its first stages of comparison testing with the M-Vac System, producing impressive results. When compared to swabbing, which is the most commonly used forensic DNA collection method worldwide, the M-Vac System collected substantially more than the swab and resulted in balanced, full profiles. In a baseline comparison of collecting epithelial cells inoculated onto 12 inch by 12 inch cloth swatches, the M-Vac collected an average of 180 times more DNA.

“The M-Vac worked, and it worked well” says Michael Garvey, Ph.D., Director of the Philadelphia PD Office of Forensic Science. “It consistently collected more DNA. It worked well with our downstream DNA processes and instruments. The question for us is where and when to use it. In some cases, the traditional swabbing method is still a reasonable option. However, this collection technique will enhance our ability to collect DNA from some more challenging evidence. It will work well with contact DNA, where the location of the contact is unknown and the quantities are small or the surface area is large. I look forward to finalizing the study and fully implementing this technology into operations.”

The M-Vac System is being utilized by an increasing number of police agencies and crime labs both in the United States and internationally. Agencies in the UK, Australia, China, South Africa, UAE and others are all using or testing the M-Vac System. As the world’s most advanced wet-vacuum DNA collection system, the M-Vac opens up cases and evidence to potential DNA profiles that were not available in the past. This new development is helping investigators solve more crime, including cold cases. In the Krystal Beslanowitch case, a recent highly publicized homicide cold case, the M-Vac System collected a full touch DNA profile from a rock.

“We are extremely pleased in our relationship with the Philadelphia Police Office of Forensic Science and look forward to the next steps,” stated Wayne Carlsen, Chief Operating Officer of M-Vac Systems. “As one of the largest public crime labs in the United States, the work they are doing with the M-Vac System is paramount for the credibility of the technology. When an experienced and professional lab produces results like this, it is very significant to the community. It shows why the M-Vac needs to be in every agency’s arsenal of forensic tools. It helps investigators solve crimes that otherwise may never be solved and that is something every victim deserves.”

The M-Vac System effectively collects micro-particles from rough, porous and smooth surfaces alike, and is capable of covering large areas which enables investigators to collect minute amounts of DNA material. The system is versatile, with applications at the crime scene, at the law enforcement agency facilities and in the crime labs. Training takes only a few hours. The M-Vac System is also distributed by Sirchie, a large forensic supplies and equipment company based in North Carolina, who was instrumental in coordinating this comparison testing.

About M-Vac Systems

M-Vac Systems is the world’s leader in wet-vacuum forensic DNA collection. Made in the USA and engineered for maximum collection capabilities, M-Vac Systems’ technology is the most innovative and capable forensic DNA material collection tool available for crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, sexual assault nurse examiners and other law enforcement specialists. For a more detailed description of the product and validation data, visit http://m-vac.com/why-mvac. Additional information and a sales quote can be obtained by contacting M-Vac Systems at 801-523-3962.

Contacts:

M-Vac Systems
Jared Bradley
801-523-3962
press@m-vac.com