Police forces in Australia and across the globe want to learn more from WA Police about cold cases

Police forces around the world and across the country want to learn more from WA Police about how they are solving so many cold cases. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said there was so much interest in the force’s investigative genetic genealogy techniques — used to solve crimes including historical sex offences — that other police forces were coming to WA to learn more. There have been a string of recent convictions for historical sex offences brought to court thanks to a new WA Police squad which is using genetic genealogy technology to solve unsolved cases. Genetic genealogy involves investigators using genealogy websites — such as GEDmatch.com — in an effort to match a person’s DNA to relatives. The technology has helped solve hundreds of crimes in North America in recent years. The biggest case solved using the technique was the Golden State Killer case in the US. The method led to the identification of Joseph James DeAngelo — a serial rapist and murderer who killed 13 people and raped more than 50 across California in the 1970s and 80s. DeAngelo was jailed for life in 2020. Since June last year, the new investigative genetic genealogy team within WA Police has helped solve numerous historical sex offences here and at least two long-term missing persons cases. Mr Blanch said he was proud of the IGG team for the work they had done. He said there was every chance the unit could soon have extra officers as it continued to work on more cases. “I am a proud commissioner to see a team like our investigative genetic genealogy team do this work because it is hard work and there is a lot of data,” Mr Blanch said. “We are focused on all of our unsolved crimes, they are doing a power of work so we will need more people in that team.” Mr Blanch said other law enforcement agencies had contacted him wanting to learn more from WA Police and its genetic genealogy success rate. “I have also been contacted by other countries and other parts of Australia about our significant acceleration and the outcomes that we are achieving,” he said. “In fact (they) are coming over to see what we are doing, and I think they are seeing the groundbreaking results. “Our job is about getting answers for those victims, again victims of heinous crimes. To be able to do that, it’s a proud moment for all of us.” Among the WA cases solved so far using genetic genealogy include the case of a previously unidentified man who was hit and killed by a train in Perth 26 years ago. Using the genetic genealogy technique, WA Police were able to identify the man as 20-year-old Mark Peter Dixon, from New South Wales. A Canberra man who broke into a Nedlands college 30 years ago and sexually assaulted a young woman as she slept was also identified by the IGG team. Craig Anthony Dwyer was extradited from the Australian Capital Territory in July to face three charges in relation to the shocking cold case. Dwyer admitted to the crime in court last month. The IGG team was also able to solve the case of a serial Perth rapist who was behind several sex attacks on women in the 1990s. As first reported by The West Australian last year, detectives were finally able to arrest and charge Michael Woodhall after a painstaking cold-case investigation into four horrific attacks on Perth women. Woodhall admitted he was indeed the man responsible for the crimes in court last month.