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What if the government paid people for DNA samples?

Kinnick.At.Night

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Jun 27, 2018
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I’ve been working around the Mason City/Clear Lake area and was thinking about Cold Case crimes recently. Although I highly doubt that any DNA evidence exists in the Jodi Huisentruit abduction, there are probably hundreds of unsolved cases across America that could be solved with a larger DNA database. Let’s say the government offered all adults 50 bucks to submit a sample? Would you be for it? I realize that would cost a shitload of money, but it’s no different than a stimulus program. And would probably achieve a lot more.
 
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Newborn screening in Florida already touches 99.8% of the population.
Genetic screening started in April of 2020.
I figure it's a matter of time before there are some changes to the law and the info is kept for law enforcement perusal.
 
$50? You can make like $100/week selling blood plasma and AFAIK BioLife isn't cooperating with the government on cold cases.

I was thinking about the total cost when I came up with fifty bucks. Yeah, it’s not much, but it’s fifty dollars more than you had before. For a quick, painless procedure that might just solve a crime.
 
I’ve been working around the Mason City/Clear Lake area and was thinking about Cold Case crimes recently. Although I highly doubt that any DNA evidence exists in the Jodi Huisentruit abduction, there are probably hundreds of unsolved cases across America that could be solved with a larger DNA database. Let’s say the government offered all adults 50 bucks to submit a sample? Would you be for it? I realize that would cost a shitload of money, but it’s no different than a stimulus program. And would probably achieve a lot more.
One Christmas my brother told the nieces/nephews that none of them were allowed to take DNA tests. He was 'mostly' joking. Pretty sure it was more about finding unknown children vs criminal activity, but I am not sure.
 
Not necessary as people already pay to give their dna to the government through all those ancestor screening tests. The police routinely run dna from crime scenes through those databases and have id'd tons of suspects that way.
 
One Christmas my brother told the nieces/nephews that none of them were allowed to take DNA tests. He was 'mostly' joking. Pretty sure it was more about finding unknown children vs criminal activity, but I am not sure.
episode 5 dad GIF
 
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Not necessary as people already pay to give their dna to the government through all those ancestor screening tests. The police routinely run dna from crime scenes through those databases and have id'd tons of suspects that way.

This, people are giving it away for free.

This is why people need to stop worrying about government conspiracies to track and profile the population. Government doesn't need to do that, we do it ourselves.

Government can get tons of information just by getting warrant to track or search your phone or by running a DNA search against the database the ancestory DNA people have.
 
Wouldn't the government need a warrant naming a suspect to obtain DNA info from one of those companies? Or do you agree to terms with Ancestry et al that says we give all of your info to the government if you want to find out if you're part Ashkenazi? I think OP's hypothetical is more like there are no suspects, only DNA evidence left behind.
 
Not necessary as people already pay to give their dna to the government through all those ancestor screening tests. The police routinely run dna from crime scenes through those databases and have id'd tons of suspects that way.

They are. However, a government effort could make the database one hell of a lot bigger in short time. NDIS currently sits in the neighborhood of 14 million profiles.
 
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There is not a single chance that I'm voluntarily putting my DNA into a database.
 
They will pretty much have your dna if a close relative discloses. places like 23 and me have caught several criminals because a relative sent in dna.
 
It doesn't matter, enough of your dumb relatives have done so such that the database can narrow crime scene DNA evidence down to a fairly small group of individuals anyway. If you are in that group and you're a person of interest, then it's just a matter of trailing you and picking up a utensil or soda can that you left traces of your DNA on and if it's a match, you're fooked. Just ask this guy.

martinko-jerry-burns.jpg
 
Recent case where they used those Ancestry companies to identify a victim and the killer.


With many people taking DNA tests to trace their ancestry, the technique can match unknown people to relatives using genetic materials gathered from even decades-old crime scenes. Investigators can then work from distant relatives to identify particular people.

In this case, the technique allowed investigators to identify both the long-missing Michigan teen and Wise, a truck driver who died after a stunt-driving crash in 1999 at a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina racetrack.
 
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