South Raleigh News

Attorney General Josh Stein announced that the North Carolina State Crime Lab has achieved 283 CODIS DNA hits in the fiscal year beginning July 2024. These DNA hits play a crucial role in assisting law enforcement agencies to solve cases.

“These hits are going to help law enforcement solve crimes and get dangerous criminals out of our communities,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’m grateful to the State Crime Lab scientists for their continued dedication to analyzing evidence and making our state safer.”

In October 2024, the lab uploaded 1,183 samples to the CODIS database, resulting in 69 matches. These matches stem from individuals arrested or convicted of offenses requiring DNA collection, as well as forensic evidence analysis. Since adopting the CODIS system, the lab has recorded over 11,772 hits aiding more than 9,438 investigations.

The recent CODIS hits have also contributed to arrests related to sexual assault cold cases following North Carolina's elimination of its rape kit backlog. The Raleigh Police Department recently apprehended David Lee Toney for a 1998 sexual assault case. He faces charges including felony first-degree rape and felony kidnapping. The crime lab worked with a vendor lab for testing, uploading a profile to CODIS last year.

The North Carolina Department of Justice continues its commitment to transparency regarding kit testing and updates on the CODIS databases at www.ncdoj.gov/testthekits.