By Aline Bouwman, Marketing and Communications

In 2020, U.S. law enforcement cracked the most famous cold case in American history when it caught the “Golden State Killer” using a new DNA identification technique known as Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG). 

Criminology instructor Tracey Dowdeswell, a leading scholar in applications of forensic genetics in the criminal justice system, says FIGG has solved over 1,000 cold cases so far. But there’s plenty more work to be done. 

“We have a huge backlog of unsolved homicides, untested sexual assault kits and many deceased persons – as many as 60,000 in North America alone – awaiting DNA identification,” Dowdeswell says. “FIGG holds immense promise for millions of people who have been waiting for a long time to see justice.”  

Widespread adoption of FIGG in the criminal justice system has been slow, but Dowdeswell is ready to change that. She created the Forensic Genetic Genealogy Project, the first open-access database that makes publicly available all criminal cases that have been successfully solved through FIGG. She hopes the database will demonstrate FIGG’s potential to a global audience. 

A new sheriff in town

FIGG combines DNA analysis with traditional family tree genealogy, which has the potential to solve criminal cases that have been “cold” for decades.  

In the case of the Golden State Killer, forensic researchers were able to identify the perpetrator after his crimes lay unsolved for nearly 40 years. 

So, how exactly does FIGG work? 

Before the advent of FIGG, DNA samples from a crime scene could only be matched to existing profiles in law enforcement databases. If an offender was not already in the database, it ruled out the possibility of identifying them via DNA sampling. 

According to Dowdeswell, FIGG is groundbreaking precisely because it can overcome these challenges. Even when offenders haven’t been previously convicted or arrested, the new technique finds recourse in powerful advancements in genetic ancestry analysis. 

FIGG draws on powerful computer databases and search algorithms to find distant relatives of the person whose DNA was collected at a crime scene, and then applies traditional methods of genealogy – examining archival materials like birth certificates and death records – to build a family tree down to the present time. 

“We’re all connected by DNA with our ancestors in this big network, with common ancestors going back about 3,500 years,” Dowdeswell says. “FIGG can pinpoint where any DNA sample is in that human network. Traditional forensics are then used to compare the individual’s DNA with that found at the crime scene to one in a trillion or one in a quadrillion accuracy, and that’s the evidence that goes to court.” 

Read more: How a Douglas Criminology alumna became the first Indigenous woman to serve in B.C.’s Legislative Assembly 

True crime and true justice 

Despite the many breakthroughs FIGG has made in criminal justice, Dowdeswell says that some of its most promising applications are in victim identification and Indigenous justice cases. 

She says FIGG can aid the crisis of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and also help to identify human remains in Canada’s residential school gravesites. Dowdeswell stresses that this should be done while respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, a model in which Indigenous peoples have the right to own, control, access and steward data about their communities. 

“It may be very difficult for Canada’s Indigenous communities to hand DNA over to companies or even to law enforcement,” Dowdeswell says. “If we could work with those communities to construct private databases where they would have control over their own genealogical data, I think they could solve a lot of their own cases without too much input from outside scientists or law enforcement. 

“By integrating FIGG, we have the opportunity to deliver justice and give closure to countless people,” Dowdeswell says. “It is only practiced on a very small scale, but there’s great potential with this technique to create a more just society.” 

Read more: This Youth Justice grad empowers Indigenous youth navigating the justice system 

Student research at the cutting edge 

Although popular procedural crime shows like CSI or Law & Order might lead you to believe that criminal cases are cracked in high-drama lab settings, Dowdeswell’s research on FIGG primarily takes place at her office at Douglas College’s New Westminster Campus. 

Now, Douglas Criminology students are getting involved. 

Last year, Taryn Mulvahill and Nico Concepcion helped Dowdeswell launch the most recent FIGG database update as part of a research assistantship.  

“When students work with me, they learn a lot about research ethics, quality control and data collection,” Dowdeswell says. “These are all vitally important skills that will equip anyone to carry out important social sciences research in the future.” 

Learn more about Douglas College’s Crimonology program and ways that students can get involved in academic research at Douglas.