Authorities Use Rape Suspect's DNA To Create Composite Illustration
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Authorities in Montgomery County used a rape suspect's DNA to create a composite illustration of him.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office released an illustration of a suspect accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at gunpoint in Norristown Farm Park last August.
The victim described the suspect as a medium-skinned black man in his 20s or early 30s, between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-10, with an average build.
The DNA samples collected at the crime scene by police were sent to Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, Virginia, to create a composite illustration of the suspect through something called Snapshot DNA Phenotyping.
The technology is relatively new as its only been around for three years.
Phenotyping predicts ancestry and physical appearance from DNA evidence using trait predictions for the subject's eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling and face shape. The scientific approximations are then translated into an illustration or "Snapshot."
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele says the DNA didn't match any database, detectives interviewed dozens of people and tried to find surveillance video, but the trail went cold.
"This is an approximation, this is an attempt to generate leads that will take us down the right direction," said Steele.
Asked if there's a concern the composite might cause a false identification, Steele says this is not the end of the investigation, but hopefully a way to jumpstart it.
"We need to solve this, and we need help in solving this and we hope this tool will give us an identification on somebody that then we can compare scientifically," said Steele.
Officials say the DNA sample shows the suspect is of "African admixed" ancestry: 52.48 percent European and 45.27 percent African.
According to Parabon, the rape suspect has light brown or brown skin color, no freckling, brown or hazel eyes and black hair. They also assume the suspect is 25 years old.
"We hope Snapshot's predictions for this individual prove helpful in the investigation," said Dr. Ellen Greytake, the director of bioinformatics of Parabon. "This distinctive ancestry and associated phenotypes should significantly narrow the field of possible suspects."
Two rape and murder suspects from Massachusetts and Texas were both caught last year because of their DNA-derived images.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and the Citizens Crime Commission of the Delaware Valley. Anyone with information is asked to call West Norriton Police at 610-630-1701 or Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3368.
