Shouldn't Wyoming's system be reevaluated and this situation be taken more serious? A guilty man roamed free for years after brutally murderering a University of Colorado senior in 1997, because of a problem with Wyoming's system for processing DNA.
Since Steve Holloway took over as the head of Wyoming's crime lab in June, there has been improvements in the system but still, it's not enough.
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SYSTEM
- Steve Holloway's concentration on Wyoming's backlog
- The use of the FBI operated database to compare DNA - http://www.promega.com/geneticidproc/ussymp6proc/niezgod.htm
- Backlog has become substantially smaller
After this new database was utilized, the DNA taken from Chase's body was finally matched by Olmos, after recently being entered into the system.
Even with the new changes being made in Wyoming's system there are still so many problems with this situation and how DNA matching in Wyoming is being handled apathetically. DNA is usually the most important piece of evidence in a crime to lead investigators to a suspect. If this evidence takes years to go through the system people are free for years, in the case of Diego Olmos-Alcade, to continue committing these serious crimes.
Even though, since becoming head of Wyoming's crime lab, Holloway has brought the number (13,000) of convicted felons sitting untested for DNA fingerprints down to 10,000 that is still a substantial amount of crimes going unsolved(http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/jan/29/wyoming-dna-backlog-delayed-finding-boulder-murder/).
THE PROBLEM
The problem, is that Wyoming's lab cannot handle this much volume, but why is Wyoming so far behind? This should not be acceptable. In Colorado, 114 samples are turned over everyday. These samples are tested and added to the system before the end of the week (http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8159567). If Colorado is so advanced and able to remain up-to-date on testing, entering and comparing samples, why is Wyoming still lagging so far behind?
IN MY OPINION.....
I feel Wyoming should be doing more to fix this problem so cases, like the Susannah Chase Murder, do not go unsolved for so long. Even though small changes are being made it is not enough. A case should not go unsolved for so many ears because of a glich in the system. Finding a suspect in a crime, especially a murder of a young girl, should be top priority. I love the state of Wyoming, but someone needs to be held accountable for letting a guilty man roam free after such a brutal crime.
