LONDON, Ohio — From mapping DNA to running tests on narcotics, evidence gathered by law enforcement agencies from across the state to the Miami Valley ends up at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott on Thursday toured the facility in London, Ohio, that plays a key role in helping solving crimes.
Recreating shootings and using chemicals at crime scenes are just two of the skills BCI agents and scientists use. They also quickly identify drugs and find breakthroughs in cold cases.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says this facility helps all law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio.
“We’re the ones that multiply their efforts, and it’s an honorable thing to do something. We are so excited to see the results because they happen in local communities one life at a time,” Yost said.
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The Miami Valley has a crime lab, but it no longer tests for DNA. Those samples now go to BCI to be processed.
“We are actively accepting cases that were originally going to Miami Valley,” said Sarah Smith, BCI DNA supervisor. “We do a lot of body fluids. A lot of blood, semen saliva.”
Ohio ranked fifth in the nation for the number of deaths caused by gun in 2021, which outpaced New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so at the BCI they are using advancements in analyzing firearms.
“Similar to the way that a fingerprint is unique to every person, the impression that’s left on a fired cartridge case will be unique to that firearm,” said Alex Salfons, NIBIN technician. “Within the past week, I was able to provide two links between crime scenes and provide that information to the agency.”
Chemists, meantime, run tests for drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to connect those substances to crimes throughout Ohio.
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