Wayne County, Michigan prosecutor Kym Worthy was shocked to find that her jurisdiction had over 10,000 untested rape kits sitting in warehouses. Emily Orley reports on how she’s waging an uphill battle to process them and identify the offenders:
To date, almost 100 serial rapists have been prosecuted from the backlogged kits, Worthy said. The attackers have been located in 13 states across the country, the furthest being in Alaska. There is no longer a statute of limitations in Michigan for criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, so while there are cases from the 1990s in the backlog that had already outrun their statute of limitations, the prosecutor’s office can use evidence from newer cases to argue the older ones. And if DNA is found, the statute will be tolled — essentially legally suspended. Worthy’s office is also working to implement a system that will allow all victims to be able to see exactly where their kit is, from police headquarters to the lab to the courts. “If UPS can track a package, a rape victim should be able to track their kit,” Worthy said.
“It’s an incredible story and should inspire other cities,” [Sarah] Tofte said. “If Detroit can do this, anybody can do this.”
The Dish 