DNA Matches Through Genealogy

This obviously is not about a specific case. I am simply curious what those who like true crime stories think about the new way they are catching perpetrators through matches on genealogy sites.

There have been several cases in which have led to the arrest of suspects. The Golden State Killer case is probably the most famous. An old cold case in Indiana involving the murder of a child also claims to have been solved through this method, among others.

These genealogy sites were obviously initially launched to help people in their quest to find relatives or expand their family trees. At least some of them are public sites which gives law enforcement the opportunity to access.

The process has been described as law enforcement, or those working in conjunction with them enter unknown DNA from unsolved cases into the site to see if there are any connections to those who have previous, by their own accord entered their own DNA. The site is able to find any markers that are similar and can then say the unknown DNA had connections to particular people. It appears that in most of the cases that have used this method and have allegedly solved cases get reports that the unknown DNA is a fairly distant relative to the person who has entered their own DNA. Law enforcement and genealogy experts then determine the family tie and look into that person's family tree.

Once law enforcement has this information they generally seem to focus in on a suspect, obtain their DNA in one manner or another and then find a match to their unknown DNA sample. The media of course has reported how this process allegedly works and while they have promoted the fact that this system has allowed law enforcement to solve old cases one has to wonder how people have had their backgrounds checked or even DNA without their knowledge before they have found their man.

I personally do genealogy and while I have not done the DNA test, my father has and he send most emails that inquire things based on those results to me. One particular person contacted me for her brother in law. He had been adopted in the 1950's and very little generic information was found on his adoption papers and it appears no one really discussed things. The site had indicated that he was biologically related to my father I believe as a second cousin. I do not recall if it had indicated which side of my father's family was indicated or if the woman and I had deducted that it was likely on my fathers father's side. Regardless without knowing more than that we were not able to know for sure or to indicate who the man's parents could have been.

My point in this story is that if authorities were looking for a particular person they would have to do much more digging, as well as DNA tests to narrow things down closer to get to the person. How would they do that? How many people, with or without their knowledge, would be considered a suspect or have their lives disrupted. Now, of course there would likely be many people who may openly agree to do whatever the investigators would need to help find a killer but I question how many of these people are asked while the digging is going on.

I am curious what others believe when it comes to this subject.