Another $1M Earmarked to Clear Rape Kit Backlog

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As officials sort through Wayne County’s financial difficulties, $1 million has been identified to help clear a backlog of 11,341 forgotten rape kits discovered in 2009.

Warren County Executive Warren C. Evans said that pending approval by the Wayne County Commission, the funds will be transferred to the Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy’s budget to support the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, which is solely responsible for investigating and prosecuting offenders identified in rape kit testing.

About 10,000 of the abandoned rape kits have been tested, and DNA collected from them has been matched to violent crime in 38 states. Some 549 suspected serial rapists had been identified by the end of August. Some of the kits dated back 30 years.

Another 149 cases are under active investigation.

The proposed $1 million identified for testing was assigned from the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund resources transferred to the county from the Wayne County treasurer.

“Finding these resources for the prosecutor was an important step in helping the victims of these assaults receive the justice they deserve,” Evans said in a statment. “The investigative phase of this process is crucial in ensuring that the perpetrators who committed these crimes are off the streets and not further terrorizing our communities.”

“We can’t afford to sit by and watch this injustice continue,” Evans said.

Evans also announced that approximately 5,000 square feet of secure office space in the Guardian Building will be set aside for for investigators, prosecutors and other task force members working on the rape kit investigations.

Worthy said in a statement that Evans has been committed to finding resources to clear the backlog.

“He understands that prosecuting and convicting these criminals enhances the safety of citizens all over Wayne County,” Worthy said. “The $1 million dollars from Wayne County and the use of office space in the Guardian Building shows, in a very tangible and significant way, that the victims whose rape kits were abandoned, do matter.

“Now that a majority of the kits have been tested, it is paramount that the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office maintain its dedication to investigation and prosecution of these case,” she said.

The proposed $1 million identified for this cause was assigned from the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund resources transferred to the county from the Wayne County treasurer.

Earlier Reports

• Kym Worthy: Untested Rape Kits Illustrate Funding Crisis
• Detroit Discovers at Least 100 Serial Rapists After It Finally Gets Around to Processing Thousands of Rape Kits
• Company Gives $100K to Help Wayne County Clear Backlog of Rape Cases
• Michigan Gets $7.5M Grant to Test Rape Kits, Go After Serial Rapists
• Worthy, ESPN’s Hill Use UM-Michigan State Game to Raise Rape Kit Testing Funds