I have written to Alexandra Flaus with the outline of my proposed changes to the law in NZ.
" Hi Alexandra,
I am a retired ..... who now has a hobby of trying to solve criminal cases.
Recently I had the concept of expanding the DNA database with the intention of facilitating familial database searches and I happened on your well researched thesis " Familial Searches and the New Zealand DNA Profile Databank".
What I am proposing is that NZ changes the law allowing for DNA testing of all deceased persons and the results put into a database specifically for familial DNA searching. It gets over one serious concern being that the database is being populated across the racial spectrum.
This could lead to various scenarios:
1. Maybe the deceased was sort for in an unsolved crime, but since the suspected perpetrator is now deceased there can be no criminal case but there could be a degree of closure for the victim's family.
2. Maybe their DNA is a close match to a crime scene sample, and they can go through the family tree as per the deceased family connections on the death certificate.
3. Should subsequent testing of a suspect show up as not being a biological match to the parent or grandparent that information would be kept confidential.
I would also suggest that the results be kept on file for 50 years or more. (I was surprise that currently ESR are only allowed to keep the results on file for average of 10 years which seems too short for Familial DNA Testing IMO."
There is a review of the law on sampling for DNA as outlined in this article:
"Law commission review of DNA law will look at use of genealogical websites"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106202343/law-commission-review-of-dna-law-will-look-at-use-of-genealogical-websitesThat is certainly one way to get a larger number of samples to compare the crime scene sample to, but the locally generated one will prove its worth in the longer term.
OK