In May 2022, the body of an unidentified young girl was discovered in a dumpster in Rosedale. The police had no information about her identity or origin. However, on June 29, 2023, the girl was finally identified as Neveah Tucker, a four-year-old from Toronto.
During the intervening period, Toronto Police sought assistance from a Texas-based company called Othram Inc. CityNews conducted an interview with the company, which revealed how their advanced genetic testing technology played a crucial role in solving the mystery. Despite the initial lack of evidence, Othram Inc. was able to construct a detailed genetic profile that provided valuable information to investigators and eventually led to the positive identification of Neveah Tucker.
Othram Inc. has also played a significant part in solving other prominent cases in Ontario, such as the murder of Christine Jessop. The company’s technology surpasses the capabilities of traditional forensic labs by enabling the creation of a comprehensive genetic profile, thus assisting law enforcement agencies in piecing together vital information for their investigations.
Unless I’m underthinking it, they probably have access to a wide database of genetic profiles (maybe from 23 and me) and were able to determine that the deceased was closely related to people from that region.
After that they check missing person reports from the area, find likely candidates, contact individuals related to missing people who match the profile, do genetic testing, and identify a close relative.
Yes, according to the article, their technology allows them to build a DNA profile that has hundreds of thousands of markers. Once police had that detailed profile, they began searching for matches through DNA sites where people have voluntarily submitted samples.