Testing previously untested rape kits from Bristol County has resulted in the first indictment for a cold case rape, the D.A.'s Office announced Friday.
Updated: 3:12 PM EST Feb 19, 2021 Karen Anderson Kevin Rothstein Thousands of rape kits from Massachusetts victims dating back to the year 2000 have never been DNA tested, according to an audit of the backlog hidden from public view until now.The backlog persisted even after advocates and lawmakers thought legislation passed in 2018 was going to address it. The Joyful Heart Foundation, an advocacy group supporting legislation to end the backlog of rape kits, said in a press release that the measure would make Massachusetts a national leader in the movement to end the backlog of untested rape kits. But the language of the legislation unintentionally excluded the vast majority of untested kits from the law s requirements. It s very disheartening. Because it seems to me that the spirit of the law was very clear, said Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation. It was meant to discover untested rape kits, and get