For decades, previously unknown serial rapists have roamed the streets of Louisville. Now, a pair of detectives in Louisville Metro Police Department’s Major Crimes Division are going back in time, equipped with a new tool that’s providing answers in decades old cases.
In 2015, a state audit found a backlog of more than 3,000 untested rape kits in police storage units across Kentucky. The discovery brought an urgency to fund labs and clear the backlog with the hope that DNA matches may provide long-delayed justice.
Technicians got started, aided by state and federal funding lawmakers quickly aimed at the problem. However, it would take longer for results, and not all kits provided answers.
While waiting for DNA hits to come back, two LMPD sex crimes detectives got to work connecting clues in cold case rapes in a way that had not been done before. Detectives Lindsay Lynch and Kris Pedigo devised a spreadsheet of information collected by past detectives on more than 1,100 cold case files for rape kits which had been sent off to be tested.
“We did our own legwork, our own boots on the ground legwork, and were able to come up with some real interesting findings,” Det. Lynch said.
Det. Pedigo called the spreadsheet “a moment of eureka.” With one simple tool, they were able build off the work of detectives before them and make connections in cold cases.
“And it has been exponential, the ground that we have gained. It's immeasurable,” Det. Pedigo said.
The spreadsheet contains victim information, suspect descriptions, locations, weapons used, words spoken, dates and times from the old case files. Detectives can search the spreadsheet for keywords and similarities in cases with two clicks of a button. It may sound simple, but it’s delivering results.
The Office of Victims Advocacy (KY) within the Office of the Attorney General has victim advocates on staff who can answer general questions about crime victim rights, the criminal justice process and related topics and provide referrals to victim advocates and other resources and services in your local area. Our advocates also provide notification of court proceedings, accompaniment to court proceedings and attorney interviews, assistance filing for victim compensation and restitution, referrals to community resources, guidance with victim impact statements, etc. in cases prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General. The hotline number is (800) 372-2551 or (502) 696-5312.
Center for Women and Families: visit thecenteronline.org or call 1-884-237-2331.
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