King County Collects DNA From Dozens Of Registered Sex Offenders

KING COUNTY, WA — King County investigators have successfully collected DNA samples from 62 registered sex offenders as part of an ongoing effort to fill gaps in a database. The sheriff's office has been working to locate and collect samples from 107 registered sex offenders since October 2020 as part of the "Sexual Assualt Kit Initiative Lawfully Owed DNA" project.

"Procedural, administrative and other reasons, beyond the scope of the Sheriff's Office, contributed to these offenders failing to initially provide their required DNA," the sheriff's office wrote. "Once collected, this offender DNA is stored in CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), an FBI-maintained database widely used in criminal investigations."

With more than half the outstanding offenders successfully reached over the last ten months, the sheriff's office plans to continue the work until they collect samples from all 107 people.

"Investigators and prosecutors throughout our nation rely on these CODIS samples to solve our most serious cases and bring justice to survivors of sexual assault and other crimes," said Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht. "I am proud to lead a team of detectives and other professionals who battled COVID-19, and other hurdles, to further this critical work."

More information on the broader Sex Assault Kit Initiative is available on the Department of Justice website.