New DNA analysis now predicts who killer might be – W*USA 9

You've probably heard how companies like Ancestry.com or 23-and-me can use your DNA to tell you where you came from. Now for the first time in our area, police are using similar technology to tell us what a suspect might look like.

Scott Broom, WUSA 5:57 PM. EDT June 12, 2017

GAITHERSBURG, MD (WUSA9) - For the first time, police in the D.C. area are turning to a new DNA analytic system that helps them predict who a suspect may be.

"DNA was considered to be just a fingerprint for a very long time," said EllenGraytakofParabonNanolabs, the Northern Virginia-based company that is offering DNA analytics to investigators nationwide. "What this can do is actually tell those investigators something they couldn't have known."

Montgomery County Police are hoping the technology will help them solve the 1992 murder ofJamesEssel, who was the operator of the Sugarloaf Mountain Market in Comas before he was stabbed to death in the store.

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For years detectives have had the description of a possible suspect vehicle, but had no idea what the person driving might have looked like.

Scientists used DNA collected from the scene to create a composite of who the person might be.

In the case of theEssenmurder, the DNA shows the suspect is likely to be a Latino man with a medium dark skin color, brown eyes, and black hair. The technology also predicts key features of the suspect's facial structure.

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In concept, the technology is similar to commercial DNA analysis performed by companies like Ancestry.com or23andMethat help customers learn more about their heritage and health backgrounds. However theParabonsystem provides much more detailed analysis, including predictions about facial features and shape.

2017 WUSA-TV

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New DNA analysis now predicts who killer might be - W*USA 9