Sean McCowan wears a bracelet with a significant number engraved on it — 14,219. This number symbolizes the 39-year period between his sister Erin Gilmour’s murder in December 1983 and the recent arrest in 2022 of her killer. McCowan expressed relief rather than joy upon receiving the call from a Toronto police detective informing him of the arrest, stating that he now feels lighter with the long-awaited answers in hand.
Solving cold case murders, especially those spanning decades, has always posed challenges for law enforcement. However, the task has become even more daunting due to restrictions on genetic genealogy, a powerful tool that utilizes small DNA fragments to trace killers through distant family connections.
Ancestry.com, a prominent U.S.-based website, houses an extensive collection of public genealogical records, including vital records like birth, death, marriage, and immigration documents from various countries. Law enforcement agencies have increasingly relied on this platform to construct family trees in their investigations.
A recent update to Ancestry.com’s terms of service explicitly prohibits law enforcement from accessing the site without a court order, complicating detectives’ research efforts. This change has significantly lengthened the process of gathering necessary information, as detectives can no longer perform quick searches on the platform.
Despite these challenges, genetic genealogy has been instrumental in resolving over 1,400 cold cases, starting with the identification of California’s Golden State Killer in 2018. One such case involved the murder of Erin Gilmour, where DNA evidence eventually led to the arrest of Joseph George Sutherland for her and another woman’s killing in 1983.
By leveraging advanced DNA analysis techniques like single nucleotide polymorphism (SNIP), law enforcement was able to identify a distant relative of the suspect through genealogical research on platforms like Ancestry.com. This breakthrough eventually led to Sutherland’s arrest and subsequent conviction for the murders.
Law enforcement officials, including Acting Det. Sgt. Steve Smith of the Toronto Police Service cold case unit, have expressed frustration over Ancestry.com’s restrictions on genealogical data access. The lack of transparency and concerns about privacy infringement in genetic genealogy practices have prompted calls for more stringent regulations to safeguard individuals’ rights.
While some police departments have adapted to these changes by exploring alternative platforms like FamilyTreeDNA and GEDMatch, the impact of limited access to Ancestry.com data continues to pose challenges in solving cold cases. Despite the hurdles, law enforcement agencies remain committed to upholding privacy laws while striving to bring closure to victims’ families through innovative investigative approaches.
