Bryan Kohberger. File Photo. Inset: The deceased students. Source: Twitter
Moscow (US): Police here is being widely praised for uniquely using DNA evidence to finally manage an arrest in the sensational murder of four students at the University of Idaho campus.
In the 6-week long investigation, police received over 19,000 tips, travelled humungous amount of distance cross country, and scanned thousands of DNA samples to nab the suspect, reports say.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was detained on Friday in a raid at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, when he was away with his family, driving cross-country from Washington State for Christmas celebration.
However, according to reports, police were already following them.
Sources told International media, Kohberger, 28, was seen frequently in the same location as students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were murdered on Nov. 13.
An unnamed law enforcement source told CNN “We were zeroing in on him being in or going to Pennsylvania sometime right before Christmas,”.
As per the reports, authorities started trailing Kohberger during the drive east, and an FBI surveillance team tracked him for four days as law enforcement and prosecutors worked to obtain an arrest warrant, as per CNN sources.
According to CNN, police took DNA from the scene, ran it through a public database, and then used genetic genealogy techniques to link the DNA to Kohberger through family members.
“What most likely happened was that the crime scene was a shambles and there was DNA evidence all over the place,” Pete Yachmetz, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told The Washington Post on Sunday.
“So they retrieved and analysed all of the DNA evidence they could find,” he said.
This process, reportedly takes time because authorities first identify the victims’ DNA and then start looking for DNA of someone who should not have been there.
Yachmetz told media that in cases like the Idaho murder, DNA samples are frequently run through CODIS, or the Combined DNA Index System, the FBI’s national DNA database.
“I think what took a long time was the massive amount of evidence they gathered,” he explained.
“You don’t just put a droplet under a microscope and then analyse it.” He added.
Less than 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho, where students lived, the alleged murderer was pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
According to police, the murder weapon has yet to be found but they have recovered a Hyundai Elantra. Investigators said several weeks ago that they were looking for the occupant or occupants of a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that was “in the area” when the students were killed.
Since the probable cause affidavit is confidential until the suspect appears in court in Idaho, very little information has been made public regarding what specifically led police to the PhD student.
The arrest warrant listed four first-degree counts, with more charges likely to be filed.According to Kohberger’s attorney, his client is innocent and will voluntarily allow police to extradite him from Pennsylvania to Idaho.
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