DNA Testing: Forensic Paternity Test

You’ve seen this plot on TV shows like Law & Order—a woman mysteriously dies, foul play is suspected, and the autopsy finds the woman is pregnant! A DNA test of the fetus is ordered to find out who the father is, and the results usually help solve the mystery and the crime.
There are many similarities between TV cases and a real life murder mystery playing out in Austin, Texas. The difference here is, no autopsy was needed to reveal the twist of an unknown pregnancy–Samantha Dean was seven months pregnant when she was found dead in her car, shot in the head multiple times.
Ms. Dean was a police department Victim Services Advocate, and had been seeing an Austin police officer socially. He has been placed on restricted duty in connection to the investigation.
DNA testing is the key to solving the mystery of who fathered the baby Ms. Dean was carrying. Both Dr. Michael Baird of DDC and Dr. Vincent Di Maio of Bexar County were interviewed by KXAN of Austin, and each agree—DNA results will be very accurate, and “virtually foolproof.”
Here is where the next steps differ greatly from TV shows, where the DNA results seemingly come back the next day. In a case like this, the DNA will most likely be sent through the county or state DNA lab, and the samples will get in line behind dozens, or hundreds, of other cases. Dr. Vincent Di Maio said the tests could take a few weeks to produce results, if there is a backlog in testing. What can happen to a case while a few weeks goes by? Where is the swift justice for the grieving family?
Dr. Michael Baird of DDC, when interviewed, said, “The DNA tests that we do [take] a matter of days. Our typical turnaround time is two days at DDC.” Private labs often can produce test results much faster than county labs. Counties invest in DNA labs for the right reasons, but when the backlogs create long wait times, law enforcement should have a back-up plan to contract with private labs to avoid lengthy delays and relieve time pressure, to promote timely justice for those in need of answers.
For more information on DDC’s Forensic DNA Testing, click here.