LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Bode Technology Collaborate to Accelerate DNA-based Investigations with Hard to Find Data

LexisNexis® Risk Solutions and Bode Technology announced a partnership to aid police investigations by providing person-of-interest information from more than 600 million public records and the largest law enforcement contributory database for the results of forensic genealogy leads. Multiple police departments across the United States are piloting a project with the two companies.

Forensic genealogy is utilized by law enforcement agencies to develop investigative leads in cold case homicides and rapes, as well as to identify unknown remains. The pool of candidate cases continues to expand due to the continued nationwide focus on backlogs of unanalyzed sexual assault kits and the need for timeline DNA testing to support investigations.

Bode Forensic Genealogy Service (FGS), combines advanced DNA analysis with traditional genealogy. This service is used by many law enforcement agencies that currently rely on LexisNexis Accurint® Virtual Crime Center to provide a comprehensive view of an individual and uncover details not available anywhere else. When agencies receive potential leads to a suspect’s biological relatives from Bode Technology, in-depth research is often needed to identify and locate the individual. 

The Public Safety Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, which is made up of former law enforcement investigators and analysts, provides support to requesting law enforcement agencies in preparing for special events and assisting with major investigations. The SIU analyzes requested information already linked in Accurint Virtual Crime Center to positively identify the right person during an investigation.

With this collaboration, the LexisNexis Risk Solution SIU, along with Bode’s genealogy team, will assist agencies with surname research and investigative analysis based on data provided from Bode FGS.  The SIU can run phonetic surname searches with its data within a geographic location to identify and locate individuals for further questioning and research. The combination of Bode FGS and Accurint Virtual Crime Center provides law enforcement with the tools needed to conduct up-front analysis, giving agencies a head start as they navigate the new reality of forensic genealogy investigations.

“We have created a unique relationship that matches DNA leads with hard-to-find information,” said Haywood Talcove, CEO, Government, LexisNexis Risk Solutions and LexisNexis Special Services Inc. “This is the latest and greatest way to use data for good to quickly create a link chart showing connections based on shared addresses or crime reports to help law enforcement agencies bring justice to victims of violent crime.”

”Bode FGS has the potential to make a substantial impact on public safety.  Bode Technology alone has processed hundreds of thousands of violent crimes for DNA,” said Mike Cariola CEO, Bode Technology. “This partnership enhances our ability to quickly provide investigative information to our clients on serial or violent offenders.”

LexisNexis Risk Solutions equips law enforcement with a variety of comprehensive tools for targeting investigations and creating dashboards that link billions of public records — including crime reports, calls for service, crash reports, license plate records, jail bookings and more — to enable intelligence-driven decision making. Visit: https://risk.lexisnexis.com/law-enforcement-and-public-safety to learn more.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com and www.relx.com.

About Bode Technology
Bode operates one of the most internationally respected private forensic DNA laboratories and provides a comprehensive set of state-of-the-art forensic DNA collection products, DNA analysis services, and research services to law enforcement, the justice system and other government agencies around the world. Bode is accredited by ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17025:2005, the ASCLD/LAB-International Supplemental Requirements for Forensic Testing Laboratories as well as the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic Testing Laboratories and DNA Databasing Laboratories. Bode also maintains AABB accreditation for relationship testing.  For more information, please visit www.bodetech.com or contact bode.service@bodetech.com to discuss a specific case.