DNA testing starts in hunt for killer of Georgina Edmonds (From This is Hampshire)
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DNA testing starts in hunt for killer of Georgina Edmonds
10:34am Wednesday 10th March 2010 in
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- By Jenny Makin » Assistant News Editor
A MASS DNA screening programme will get under way today as detectives continue the hunt for the killer of a Hampshire grandmother.
About 120 people have been asked to provide a mouth swab to police as they try to narrow down their search for the murderer, Mrs Edmonds, 77, was bludgeoned to death in her Brambridge home more than two years ago but her killer remains at large.
Detectives are now taking DNA samples from people living within the local community who have come into the murder inquiry in some form.
They hope that by testing samples of up to 2,000 people they will be able to narrow down the focus on their suspect.
Police are targetting a small Hampshire community in the hunt for the killer of Georgina Edmonds, two years after her murder.
Every person required to provide a DNA sample has now been written to and asked to turn up to a community club where fingerprints will also be taken.
From today a team of police will be at The Progressive Club in Twyford Road, Eastleigh – just a short walk from the cashpoint where the prime suspect in the murder tried to use Mrs Edmonds’ cash card hours after she was found dead.
The pensioner’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor of her cottage, on the banks of the River Itchen, on January 11, 2008. Her son Harry made the gruesome find.
She had suffered knife wounds to the top of her body, thought to have been torture to get her to reveal her PIN.
The killer then rained blows to her head using a marble rolling pin from the kitchen, before locking her inside the property and fleeing the scene.
Detectives, with the help of geographical profilers, believe whoever carried out the murder may have and could still be living or working in the local area.
The mouth swabs will be sent to the Forensic Science Service to be tested against a profile found at the murder scene and then destroyed if there is no match.
Only people who have been contacted by police are being asked to attend, bringing photographic proof of identity with them.
• The Progressive club will be open today and tomorrow from 10am-8pm, and on Saturday from 10am-4pm.
Comments(11)
Mexeman
says...
10:57am Wed 10 Mar 10
Are the Police GUARANTEEING that the DNA and fingerprints will be immediately destroyed if no match is found? How long will this info be in their possession before it is destroyed? I would want this in writing before I agreed to give my DNA or prints. I wouldn't trust the Police with this info (my son is a copper)
bemused26
says...
1:48pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Mexeman
says...
2:07pm Wed 10 Mar 10
bemused26 wrote:I agree that we need to find this lowlife but we must be assured that the data will not be held on file for the police at a later date to go on a 'phishing' trip and drag up illegal info. In the case of DNA and fingerprinting of innocent people, the end does not justify the means.
At the end of the day, if it helps get a vicious, old lady killer off the streets, I'd willingly let the police keep my dna for however long they wanted. I am not a criminal and have no fear of my dna being kept on a database. This is my opinion though and I do understand the concerns of others on this sensitive subject, so I'm not saying my opinion is the right one by any means. (Thought I'd clear that up before some long winded argument started!)
freefinker
says...
2:23pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Shoong
says...
3:58pm Wed 10 Mar 10
freefinker wrote:The governments record on keeping data confidential.
Tell us, Mexeman, specifically WHAT have "innocent people" got to fear from DNA being retained?
freefinker
says...
4:16pm Wed 10 Mar 10
BUT, what good is it to anyone if my DNA profile did leak out.
It's not actually useful to anyone except the police in detecting criminals.
It's not as though it's bank account details or medical records, etc
Shoong
says...
4:44pm Wed 10 Mar 10
freefinker wrote:Your DNA profile not useful to anyone?
Fair enough, they have a terrible record on confidentiality of computer data.
BUT, what good is it to anyone if my DNA profile did leak out.
It's not actually useful to anyone except the police in detecting criminals.
It's not as though it's bank account details or medical records, etc
Can you say you can be absolutely sure about that?
Your DNA is essentially You. I wish people would not disregard this so lightly.
Going back to the above story, throwing a blanket over the nearby population is essentially a statement by the police that they are desperate & have run out of ideas, hoping that by chance they will catch someone with a DNA or near match.
But seeing as the police & this paper have let them know already this is going down, they would have fled already if they have two brain cells & it will render it useless.
Mexeman
says...
4:51pm Wed 10 Mar 10
freefinker wrote:Because FF, they cannot be trusted to keep it confidential and who knows, that in 10 - 15 years time, if someone found a way to 'plant' false DNA? Or even plant an innocents DNA to cover their own wrongdoings? Far-fetched possibly, but still possible!
Tell us, Mexeman, specifically WHAT have "innocent people" got to fear from DNA being retained?
freefinker
says...
5:01pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Shoong wrote:Two points: -
freefinker wrote:Your DNA profile not useful to anyone?
Fair enough, they have a terrible record on confidentiality of computer data.
BUT, what good is it to anyone if my DNA profile did leak out.
It's not actually useful to anyone except the police in detecting criminals.
It's not as though it's bank account details or medical records, etc
Can you say you can be absolutely sure about that?
Your DNA is essentially You. I wish people would not disregard this so lightly.
Going back to the above story, throwing a blanket over the nearby population is essentially a statement by the police that they are desperate & have run out of ideas, hoping that by chance they will catch someone with a DNA or near match.
But seeing as the police & this paper have let them know already this is going down, they would have fled already if they have two brain cells & it will render it useless.
1) A DNA profile is NOT "essentially you", as you say. DNA profiling should not be confused with full genome sequencing, which would be. It uses small repetitive sequences of what is essentially "junk DNA" - which are very similar between closely related humans, but so variable that unrelated individuals are extremely unlikely to have these same DNA codes. So, no chance of anyone being able to determine, for example, what genetic dispositions one may have, etc.
2) True, the individual in this case has been alerted to this police action and may well have fled. But have all his close relatives? Maybe not, and that's how he may well be detected.
freefinker
says...
5:14pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Mexeman wrote:So, your objection is to a situation that only possibly may happen in 10 to 15 years time.
freefinker wrote:Because FF, they cannot be trusted to keep it confidential and who knows, that in 10 - 15 years time, if someone found a way to 'plant' false DNA? Or even plant an innocents DNA to cover their own wrongdoings? Far-fetched possibly, but still possible!
Tell us, Mexeman, specifically WHAT have "innocent people" got to fear from DNA being retained?
Hum, may I suggest that if this ever did come about, which I doubt, then we review the situation afresh at that time?
Meanwhile, as many a cold-case is proving, let’s just get on with providing the police with all the technology they need to catch nasty criminals. Which is what I presume you want?
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Mexeman says...
10:51am Wed 10 Mar 10