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17 years later, DNA leads to second arrest in reported sexual assault of Utah teen
Jordan Miller, Salt Lake Tribune, Nov 16, 2023

"Seventeen years after a girl told police she was kidnapped and raped, a second suspect has been charged in the alleged attack — thanks to advancement in DNA technology that ultimately produced a match, Salt Lake County prosecutors say. Twelve years would pass before the sexual assault kit was tested in 2018 through the national Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. A match soon came back for Frank P. Benavidez, who had pleaded guilty to murder in late 2009 and remains incarcerated in Utah, according to the documents."

Serial rapist caught after more than 20 years
Christine Fonville, The Champion Newspaper, Nov 10, 2023

"Through the work of the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (GASAKI) Task Force, which was formed in 2018 and created in partnership with the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) as part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar federal grant, the cold case was finally solved, stated officials. “The GASAKI Task Force addresses the downstream investigations and prosecutions of cold case sexual assaults that have resulted from testing of previously untested sexual assault kits or any cold case sexual assault,” stated a press release from the GASAKI Task Force."

Man charged with 1998 rape in Raleigh after long-delayed test of DNA evidence
WRAL News, Nov 7, 2023

"Evidence against King surfaced in September as part North Carolina's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. In 2019, the state received $2 million in funding to test previously un-submitted sexual assault kits, investigate and prosecute the associated cases. Few sexual assault kits remain untested in NC, data shows. "This is an initiative that started in 2019 [and] thousands of kits have been tested across the state," said Wake County's District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. "It's unfortunate it's been that long to be able to bring these cases.""

Tulsa Police make progress in testing old rape kits
Shae Rozzi, Fox 23, Nov 6, 2023

"FOX23 Evening Anchor Shae Rozzi follows up on the rape kit testing backlog in Oklahoma. She first told you about in 2016. At that time, TPD was just starting the process of applying for federal grants to test previously untested rape kits for DNA. Since then, the department has received grants in 2018 and 2021 totaling around $4 million to spend on testing old sexual assault kits."

AG Platkin Announces $2 Million in Federal Funding to Offer Survivors of Sexual Assault a Way to Track the Progress of Their Case
Office of the Attorney General – Matthew J. Platkin, Nov 3, 2023

"Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced the receipt of $2 million in competitive federal funding to establish an advanced tracking system for the state’s Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Kits. SAFE Kits are used to preserve physical evidence collected from medical forensic examinations conducted by qualified nurses after an individual has experienced an act of sexual violence. This endeavor is part of an ongoing commitment to provide victims of sexual abuse with support and transparency in navigating the criminal justice process."

Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Receives Second $2.5 Million Grant
Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Goldrushcam.com, Oct 31, 2023

“This new award provides additional momentum for VCSAKI,” said Sheriff Fryhoff. “We thank the Department of Justice for helping provide us with the resources we need to bring justice to as many victims as we can.”

Man convicted of sexual assault after state tests old rape kits
Nathan Clark, Mlive.com, Oct 30, 2023

"An Ypsilanti man charged with multiple counts of sexual assault from 2015 and 2018 after a set of previously untested rape kits identified him as a suspect has been found guilty. Smith, 38, was arraigned on two separate criminal sexual assault cases stemming from old DNA evidence collected and tested as part of the state’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative."

AG Ferguson announces end to sexual assault kit backlog
Fox 13 Seattle, Oct 27, 2023

"Attorney General Bob Ferguson says more than 10,000 kits have been tested, some after languishing in law enforcement evidence rooms across the state for decades."

Man pleads guilty to 2010 sexual assault in Western Michigan University dorm
Amber Ainsworth, Fox 2 Detroit, Oct 27, 2023

"A Jackson man pleaded guilty this week to a sexual assault that happened more than a decade ago in a Western Michigan University dorm. Williams was charged years later thanks to the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), which reopens old sex assault cases. He pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct."

Charlie Scott, fugitive on America’s Most Wanted, pleads guilty 29 years after rape of DeKalb County girl
On Common Ground News, Oct 17, 2023

"DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by guilty plea in the sexual assault cold case against Charlie Scott, 59. A positive DNA match linked Scott to the rape of the teen and several other victims."