The Hennepin County crime lab is halting testing after DNA contamination was discovered

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – At least 75 DNA samples may be affected by a reported contamination at the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office crime lab.

What we know

The sheriff’s office said DNA contamination from an unknown source was discovered in casework in September.

Because of the discovery, the sheriff’s office says it has stopped all DNA analysis to determine the origin and impact of the contamination.

Currently, the sheriff’s office believes the contamination likely came from “an external product that we use in the DNA testing process.”

The effect

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office says they have identified 75 samples out of 50,000 samples that may be affected by the contamination. However, work is still underway to identify affected samples.

“Because the contamination resulted from an unknown DNA profile, it is important to note that this contamination could not have resulted in any criminal charges or convictions,” a sheriff’s spokesperson said. “Our top priority remains the integrity of our casework and ensuring the accuracy of DNA analysis. We will continue to work with our criminal justice partners throughout the process and will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

reaction

In a statement, the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office wrote:

“We take this issue extremely seriously. The HCSO Crime Lab alerted our office to this issue on September 26, 2024, and we immediately began notifying defense attorneys and initiated our own internal review process.”

“The most recent update provided to our office by the HCSO Crime Lab indicates that approximately 75 samples are potentially impacted. We are continually working to identify all affected cases and are working closely with the Crime Lab. We are committed to transparency and ensuring integrity in all our work.”