FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com THE COURIER SUN • JANUARY 5, 2017 3 Howard Beach pols back expanded DNA tests to solve Vetrano murder BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz With the Karina Vetrano murder investigation in its fifth month, two representatives of Howard Beach announced their support of enhanced DNA testing to help find her killer. State Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato recently sent a letter to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services urging them to authorize the use of familial DNA screening by detectives looking not only into the Howard Beach woman’s murder but also other unsolved homicide cases statewide. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown first made the request for familial DNA screening earlier this month in a letter to the state Commission on Forensic Science; the commission later indicated that it would consider the matter at an upcoming meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 10. Familial DNA screening requires special testing on the Y chromosome and can produce common male profiles along the paternal lineage, leading potentially to a biological match of the culprit’s Y chromosome profile. It allows forensic investigators to further examine DNA profiles in databanks that closely resemble an unidentified DNA profile recovered from a crime scene. Once a partial match is found, it may indicate that the DNA belongs to a relative of the perpetrator. Addabbo and Pheffer-Amato believe familial DNA tests will ultimately produce the big break in the Vetrano case that detectives have been looking for since her body was discovered in Spring Creek Park on Aug. 2. Police recovered genetic evidence from the crime scene and produced a DNA profile of Vetrano’s killer, but a search of national and local DNA criminal databanks yielded no matches. “The tragic and brutal murder of Karina shook Howard Beach and the surrounding communities in many ways, and her family still must cope with the burden of her killer not yet being caught,” Addabbo said. “I believe it is imperative that we use the resources and technology we have available to not only find the person responsible for this young woman’s death and ensure the highest level of consequence, but to ease the fears of my constituents who know a dangerous individual is still out there.” “Arming our law enforcement with the necessary tools is the least we can do to honor Karina, bring justice to her family and protect our community,” Pheffer Amato added. Familial DNA testing is in practice in nine states across the country, but it Karina Vetrano was murdered in August, and her killer is still at large. has its detractors. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois outlined in 2011 a host of concerns about familial DNA screening, indicating that it may violate the privacy of relatives of File photo/QNS convicted felons and opens the door for DNA testing to be used by private industry to deny jobs or services to individuals genetically linked to a criminal. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.10% 7-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you. 1 New money only. APY effective December 23, 2016 Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. A new Complete Checking Plus account with a $5,000 minimum initial deposit is required to receive the CD with the advertised rate. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A new checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 2 Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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