Milwaukee – Many parents across the country are swabbing the inside of their children’s mouths to get a DNA sample just in case they need it if the youngster is kidnapped, runs away or suffers a terrible accident.
News reports about child abductions and television shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” are helping drive the interest in keeping genetic records that could be used to identify remains, hair or blood.
“It’s the CSI mentality: That DNA is going to be the answer to any problem that comes up,” said Jerry Nance, supervisor of the forensic assistance unit of the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Missing kids found slain or those who are never heard from make up only about 2 percent of the 850,000 kids who are reported missing every year, he said. Most children are found within several days or come home on their own.
Despite those numbers, kits are available that include a photo, fingerprints, a collection swab and a special envelope in which to put the DNA sample.
The kits are distributed by private companies, police stations, orthodontists and others. Most cost $5 to $60, Nance said, but some are provided for free.
Joe Polski, chief operations officer for the International Association for Identification, said he would not use the kits but he would not discourage them.
“The chances are so slim that it’s questionable in my mind if it’s worth the work to have it,” he said. “Parents would be far better off to pay attention to what their kids are doing, who they are hanging around with.”
Craig Webre, first vice president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, said DNA collection could become standard within the next decade.
Ed Smart said he wishes he would have known about the DNA kits before his daughter Elizabeth was kidnapped from her Utah bedroom in June 2002. She was found alive nine months later.
He said investigators took boxes of her belongings to find her DNA and did not get a sample back for weeks. Having the sample ready could have narrowed down suspects faster.
“It is kind of like an insurance policy you hope you never use,” he said.
