New DNA technology that could help solve the 27-year-old murder – Kern Golden Empire

BAKERSFIELD, CALIF - When it comes to the Jessica Martinez case, as well as numerous other cases, we're often told that evidence can be tested today that could potentially crack the case wide open. But what exactly does that mean? The science behind DNA testing is extremely complex, but we wanted to understand what new developments there are in 2017 that could help find justice for Jessica.

We found The Kern Regional Crime Lab is using new technology that could potentially help solve the Jessica Martinez case, as well as other cold cases, where decades have gone by without answers.

After someone is murdered, officials preserve physical evidence at the crime lab, where technicians test for the presence of DNA. If there is- then they look for what they call "locations", in order to develop a DNA profile. In the last two months, technicians in the lab have started using a new method.

"We were basically looking at 16 different locations in the DNA, where as with the global filer kit, we're looking at a total of 24 locations. So basically we're adding those additional locations for comparison", says DNA technical lead, Garett Sugimoto.

Sugimoto explains that having more locations to examine in the DNA, it gives them more information about the DNA to then compare against suspects. Having 24 locations, instead of 16, can make a big difference, Sugimoto says.

"I think the simplest way to explain it is if you think about a fingerprint, and if you had a fingerprint previously where you had 16 different points for comparison, well now you've just enhanced that fingerprint and now you have 24, and so it's just more points of identification, or more points for comparison", says Sugimoto.

In the Jessica Martinez case, DNA was recovered from the child's shoe. It hasn't been revealed what kind of DNA, but it hasn't matched anyone in CODIS, the nationwide DNA database, or to the primary suspect, Christopher Lightsey.

But the District Attorney's Crime Lab isn't giving up. Officials with the DA's office say some of the evidence in the case are being reexamined.

"Just the technology itself and where we are now with DNA testing, we could potentially test items from back in the early 2000's, when we wouldn't have considered them good items for DNA analysis. So I think we're looking at more items such as potential touch DNA samples and we're testing those more often, so the new kit can help test those kinds of samples", says Sugimoto.

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New DNA technology that could help solve the 27-year-old murder - Kern Golden Empire