Familial DNA: An Unusual Way for Your Inspector to Find the Perp - Information for Writers

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I was recently chatting with David Swykert about some of the stories he'd come across while at work as a 9-1-1 operator. He introduced me to a new concept, familial DNA.

First, David, would you please introduce yourself?

David - 

I am a retired 911 operator living in northern Kentucky. I also worked as an operations manager for a large transportation company and as part of my job investigated accidents. I worked as an emergency operator for the Department of Public Safety in northern Michigan until 2006. I have written in several different genres, mystery, romance, and even some literary, short fiction and novels. I have five published novels.

Fiona - 

How did you first learn about familial DNA in crime cases?

David - 
I first heard about Familial DNA from the officer that was our CSI for our department. It's simply a DNA search that turns up no exact match, so you ask the computer for the closest match.

Fiona -

If you need a quick brush up on DNA in crime scenes go HERE

So the DNA found at a scene that did not match any of the DNA that was in the computer bank. The officer would then task the computer to find as close a match as possible, hoping to find the general family from which the possible perpetrator belonged. Is there precedent for this?

David - Yes. Lonnie David Franklin, deemed The Grim Sleeper, because of the length of time in between murders committed by him. There was never any DNA at any of the crime scenes that identified Franklin. 

The investigators found him by running a Familial DNA search which turned up his son, who was a convicted felon. This led the investigators to Franklin. 

After Franklin's arrest, the investigators tested Franklin and his DNA was a match with that found at the crime scene. 

He was caught the summer of 2009. But this case is just going to trial perhaps this year (2014). There have been volumes of appeals and briefs filed because there was never any direct evidence that connected Franklin to the crimes, and defense lawyers contend his investigation based on someone else DNA was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights concerning illegal search and seizures.


The argument is: the inspectors had no direct evidence that connected Franklin to the crime before they investigated him.

When you run a persons records, you have to have a law enforcement purpose that allows the search, the defense contended they didn't have one. 

The courts have ruled so far in favor of the prosecution, and the trial is moving forward. But it will get appealed to higher courts. The Fourth Amendment protects you against unusual search and seizure, but of course there can be very broad interpretations of what this means.

Fiona - 

What are the arguments against using familial DNA?

David - 
Civil Libertarians argue that using someone else's DNA to justify investigating someone else violates the Fourth Amendment that protects us against "unreasonable" search and seizure. They see this as "unreasonable." 

I really don't think an officer can "abuse" the technique. In defense, the lawyers can always ask to see who's DNA caused the detectives to investigate a defendant, discover whether that DNA close to the perpetrators, and ask about probable cause. 

Amazon Link

When I heard about familial DNA searches, I thought it would be a great hook for a crime story, which I wrote in early 2009 just before LAPD caught The Grim Sleeper using the technique.

I'm surprised crime writers haven't written a lot of books regarding the use of the technique. In mine, they catch him, but the D.A. isn't sure they can prosecute him successfully, which causes my detective, Bonnie, a lot of consternation. She knows he did it, but perhaps he can't be convicted. Which could happen out in LA. That's just getting started.
Fiona - 
Let's talk about your book. Can you give a synopsis?

David - 
This is a fictional story about Detroit Homicide Detective Bonnie Benham, who convinces the District Attorney to allow a Familial DNA search as she investigates the murder of several young girls. 

The book reveals standard investigative homicide procedures and the frustration of the officers as all leads go nowhere and the body count continues to mount. A task force is put together and Bonnie and her partner, Neil Jensen, who understands Bonnie’s frustration, become inseparable as they track this killer of children.

Fiona - 
I had never heard of familial DNA prior to your book, while it will probably be more prominent as the trials catch the imagination of writers. If a writer wants to include this twist in their plot line can you give us any more information about the process?

David - 
It's no different than a DNA search, except the lab expands the search to include DNA that is close to the DNA profile from the crime scene. The investigators then investigate the people the expanded search includes. 

Last time I checked there were only two states in the U.S. that even have a policy regarding it's use, Colorado, and California, Michigan, where my story is set, is not one of them. 

What I thought would be the hook for my story is the old: I know he did it, but I can't prove it. It took from 2009 until this year for the courts to get The Grim Sleeper into a courtroom, and this case will perhaps set precedence for the future use of the technique. I think the rest of the states are waiting to see the outcome before they write a policy.

Fiona -
What do you hope the outcome will be?

David - 
I want to see the guilty convicted. DNA profiling has worked both ways, it's freed a lot of innocent people. As unique as DNA is, I would hope the courts decide if the DNA is close enough to a match this constitutes a reasonable search. 

I'm not an expert on the scientific profiling of DNA, but I would think they can set parameters that the profile must meet, a standard, which when met, allows indicates that it is reasonable to investigate this person. 

I believe ultimately the courts will allow its use. Fingerprinting isn't absolute, and they allow it entered as evidence. So there is already precedence.

Fiona - 
David, thank you so much for chatting with us today - I can almost hear all of the cogs starting to whir in the minds of mystery writers.

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"911, What is your Emergency?" - Emergency Communications Information for Writers

found publicly on Facebook

Fiona - 
Hi David, welcome to ThrillWriting. Would you please introduce yourself to the readers and tell a little bit about your background and your writing?

David -
I am a retired 911 operator living in northern Kentucky. I also worked as an operations manager for a large transportation company and as part of my job investigated accidents. I worked as an emergency operator for the Department of Public Safety in northern Michigan until 2006. I have written in several different genres, mystery, romance, and even some literary, short fiction and novels. I have five published novels

Fiona - 
Is there a difference between a 911 operator and an emergency operator?
David - 

David Swykert

The duties would be the same. 911 is an emergency system. Houghton, Michigan had no 911 system of its own, neither did its neighboring city, Hancock. I worked for the Department of Public Safety for MTU, a large northern university. we were a state licensed police agency for the university, and also our officers were deputized in the county and assisted local law enforcement agencies. We contracted our emergency 911 services to the two cities, and their fire departments, as well as taking emergency

calls for the university. We also dispatched

the police officers for the two cities, and

their fire departments.

Fiona - 
Can you tell me about the qualifications and training of a 911 operator?

David - 
I was trained by the Michigan State Police to obtain a LEIN certification, which is an acronym for law enforcement information network. This certification enabled me to access databases maintained by the states, NCIC which is the FBI's database, which searched for federal warrant information and CMIS, which is a corrections database for prisons. The law enforcement training was done in house for operators by the Department.

Fiona - 
What do your duties entail?

David -

Amazon Link $2.99

Taking emergency calls, although, "emergency" is a pretty broad term. For some people this meant the neighbor's dog was barking.

We answered the phone like this: "Public Safety, what is the nature of your emergency?" 

At this juncture, you determined a course of action, i.e. my house is on fire. Or, my

husband is threatening me. I'm going

to hang myself. There was protocol

for almost every emergency you can

think of. 

* Fire - I would engage the alarms for the appropriate fire

   department and forward the information. 

* Police calls, depending on the nature of the call determined what

   action I would take. 

* Domestic violence, generally we would send a car and always

   backup. 

* Suicide call, we would try and keep the caller on the line and send

   initially a police car to the scene, the officers observations then

   would determine further action, i.e. notification of the emergency

   at the nearest hospital.

Fiona - 
In an emergency, do you talk the caller through stabilizing the situation? For example, in a fire do you make sure they leave the house?

David - 
Not in a fire. We would advise them to leave and wait across the street for the fire department. For a domestic violence call, I would ask them to stay on the line with me until the officers got there, and there is some information I'd want, for instance, "Is he armed? Are there weapons in the house? Are you injured?"

Fiona- 
Most common call was about what kind of situation?

David - 

Amazon Link $6.50

One of the most common calls we would get would be lockouts. "I locked my keys in my car." Our officers all carried a tool that would allow them to unlock cars. But the newer cars with all the electronics it's getting tougher. We insisted on the driver signing a waver, in case the officer yanked a few wires loose trying to open the vehicle.

Fiona - 
See and I thought that was a call to AAA unless my kid or dog was inside (which would NEVER happen).

David - 
Some police agencies refuse to do lockouts, too many damage complaints. But our officers were very proficient with a "slim Jim"; the tool they lifted the lock with.

Fiona - 
What was the most bizarre call you ever received?

David - 
One was a report of a large group of very naked young men running down US41 at about 3 a.m. The only officer on duty anywhere near the area was a young female officer. And yes, I sent her to investigate. She found them, got out of the car and went in pursuit of them. She cornered about a half of dozen of them and ended up with all of them, buck naked, in the car with her, crammed in the back, and she transported them like that to the jail. I asked if she wanted me to run any records on them. She said, "No, they're not carrying any ID, no wallets."

Fiona - 
Do you get to know the outcomes? Or is that protected under privacy laws?

David - 

Amazon Link $5.79

I took the job thinking it would provide me with great stories for writing. But, no, you often don't know the outcome of an emergency. You aren't at the scene, and you have other calls coming in. You take the call, you do what is necessary to handle the situation, then you move onto the next call. However, I would often see the officers coming on duty or leaving, or on quiet nights they'd stop by the station and

sit around. And I'd find out how

certain situations ended. 

Most of the calls are quite routine. We would answer what is called a call for a "well being check." Which mean someone was concerned about someone and asked us to check. Calls about murders and things are pretty far and in between. I worked with a couple of officers from large metro police departments. Even there, the kind of calls they responded to were mostly routine. We did have a couple of murders, but these entail investigations I would not have access to. I did take a call where there was a man stuffing a body into a burn barrel. At first I thought it would be just something he was burning. Nope, it was a body.

Fiona - 
When you're watching TV, or the movies,or reading a book that includes a call to 911, what are the writers getting incorrect in the plot line and is there an interesting twist that would change everything?

David - 

Found publicly on Facebook

The only TV shows I recall watching that involved 911 operators were shows about 911. And these were actual calls and operators. 

The operator is a very peripheral participant in the investigation. Our duty is merely to identify accurately the

nature of the emergency

and decide a course of action, 

which is pretty straight forward. 

Send an officer. But then our 

official involvement ends.

I learned a lot about how police departments function, but not a lot of information about a specific case, unless I followed it up myself on my time.

Fiona - 
Traditional ThrillWriting Question: Will you please tell us the story behind your favorite scar and if you have none, could you fill in with a harrowing story?

David - 
I have a long scar over my left eye. Did not get it on duty. I got it in an automobile accident, hit a tree.


The worst 911 call I ever took was from a woman who said, "I'm going to hang myself." Then she hung up the phone and hanged herself. She was found hanging from a basement rafter, deceased, when the officers arrived. 

I had another terrible call with a woman who called that her husband was unconscious and barely breathing. She was hysterical, and I had a difficult time getting the house address. The officers, and ambulance, I had called both, could not locate the house with the number. As it turned out, it was a newer home and the husband hadn't put the numbers out on the house yet. He also was DOA.

Fiona - 
That brings up a good point. Once my daughter was having a seizure - I had been through many of them but this was the first that my husband saw. I sent him to call 911 while I tried to stabilize her. When he got the operator on the phone, he could not remember anything - my daughter's age, the cause of the crisis, where we were. He just stammered into the phone. I could hear her prodding him - and started screaming the information out as loud as I could, so she could hear me from upstairs. You never know how you will do in a crisis especially if it's a loved one, and this is a first time. How do you help people in that kind of situation?

David - 

Found Publicly on Facebook

You're describing a very similar situation. The house was outside of our system, so I had to get the address from her, and she is just unglued, screaming, crying, and perhaps being a new house didn't even know what the address was. He had a heart attack. Anyway, by the time medical techs and our officers got there, he was blue and not responsive. He never regained consciousness. I think that's the 

worst call I ever took, you feel 

helpless, unable to help. By and 

large the job overall is very rewarding.

Fiona - 

Thank you kindly for sharing this information. 

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.