Officials say a breakthrough made by the state forensic lab is allowing an attempted rape case to be reopened.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said the crime took place in 2022. Authorities swabbed DNA from an object left behind by the suspect, but they were unable to match it to a person.
Recently, the state lab used its DNA indexing system to identify the DNA. Jackley said the suspect’s DNA was added to the system after getting arrested for an unrelated crime. This allowed investigators to match them to the original 2022 case.
No other details about the crime itself have been released. Jackley said the case is pending.
“The DNA and the State Forensic Lab’s work is a significant break-through in solving a violent crime and protecting victims in South Dakota,” Jackley said. “Our South Dakota Forensic Lab sets the national standard, is one of the only state labs with contracts to complete FBI evidence testing, and often handles the challenging cases from other states.”