Danish police lack unified strategy for DNA tool that could solve old rape cases

A new DNA technique known as familial searching recently helped solve a decade-old rape case just before the statute of limitations expired, but Danish police have no national plan for applying the method to other unsolved sexual assaults, reports DR.

In 2015, an 89-year-old woman was raped in her home in Over Fussing, near Randers. For years, her daughter, Rita Møller, lived with the uncertainty of not knowing who committed the crime. “It was terrible not to know who did this to her,” Møller told DR. After learning about familial DNA searching—a method that identifies potential relatives of a suspect rather than requiring a direct match—she pressed Østjyllands Police to use it.

Initially, police cited resource constraints, but Møller persisted. The investigating officer later revealed she had also advocated for using the tool. With assistance from the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK), which manages Denmark’s DNA database, police conducted the search. In February 2023, they arrested a 49-year-old man in Randers. His DNA matched the evidence from the crime scene with “the highest degree of probability,” leading to charges just before the 10-year statute of limitations expired.

Despite the breakthrough, Denmark’s National Police (Rigspolitiet) has no central strategy for prioritising old rape cases using familial searching. The NSK confirmed that while police districts are aware of the method, each must independently assess whether to use it. “It is up to the individual police district to determine whether it is a relevant investigative step in a specific case,” the NSK stated in a written response.

Rigspolitiet also lacks an overview of how many unsolved rape cases are nearing their statute of limitations and could benefit from the technique. The NSK has developed criteria for selecting cases but leaves final decisions to local districts.

Initially, the NSK restricted familial searching to serious crimes committed after January 1, 2023, with at least an eight-year prison sentence, and only after other DNA methods were exhausted. However, exceptions were allowed. Flemming Nørgaard, deputy police commissioner in Østjyllands Police, called the Over Fussing case a success. “It means a lot to us, also in terms of sending a signal to the public,” he said.

The case is now before Randers Court, where the accused denies the charges.