1,100 rape kits from suspended HPD cases were tested but never investigated, sources tell ABC13
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- More than 1,100 rape kits connected to the Houston Police Department's suspended sexual assault cases have been tested, sources told ABC13, which uncovered that those results should have been accessible to HPD.
This means some of these suspended cases may have easily been investigated, giving justice to victims.
According to Amy Castillo of the Houston Forensic Science Center, if a sexual assault survivor chooses to do so, they will go to a hospital and have a series of tests done to collect evidence in hopes it will lead to justice.
"For that survivor to have to do that and to go through that trauma again, from that perspective, we have to be testing the kits," Castillo said.
UPDATED STORY: HPD confirms 1,100 rape kits from suspended cases were tested, with 96 DNA database hits
Clothes you were wearing during the attack are collected, and doctors will swab your body for DNA. Those tests make up a rape kit, and according to medical experts, depending on the type of assault, you want to get it done within 72 hours of the attack.
Sources told ABC13 that of the 4,017 suspended HPD sexual assault cases, 1,124 rape kits were performed and tested.
As part of an automatic process, once tested, the results were emailed to Houston police and loaded into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. This national DNA database can help identify suspects. If there were any CODIS hits, those are also automatically sent to the police.
The results of those tests, meant to aid in justice, could have sat in an email inbox for years, with police never following up on any CODIS matches and suspect profiles.
Castillo couldn't speak to the 1,124 kits but said rape kits generally should be handled the right way to protect victims and fellow Houstonians.
"It's the right of that survivor that they get this done and that we get it tested appropriately but for a broader public safety perspective, getting as much information into CODIS as possible helps public safety overall, and helps get people off the street that are doing this repeatedly," Castillo said.
ABC13 wanted to know if these rape kits matched potential suspects and if these results were examined. Houston police said they won't answer any questions about the rape kits at this time.
For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.
SEE ALSO: 13 Investigates what's happened since HPD's 'suspended' code was identified as an issue a decade ago
EXCLUSIVE: 13 Investigates gets first look at how, why HPD's suspended code began
