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Approximately 4,000 DNA samples will be retested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office after the agency discovers the letter with warnings from the manufacturer of the test kit.
A notice from the DNA kit manufacturer dated August 28, 2024 indicates that some kits are “prone to incomplete intermittent performance,” with possible incomplete results and profiles. The manufacturer recommended that the department stop using the kit and offered a free replacement.
However, according to a news release, the department only noticed Monday’s letter.
“This letter dated August 28, 2024 was forwarded to an individual at the Sheriff’s Science Department. “However, it was recently discovered that the affected kits have been in use for about eight months from July 2024 to February 2025.”
The Scientific Services Bureau is trying to determine the windows for that eight months and how much they have been affected. After the review, the department will notify all affected institutions, the department said.
The kit maker warned that the defect could have led to “incomplete or suboptimal results,” but it is unlikely that anyone would have misidentified it, the department said.
“We take the integrity of our criminal investigations and the reliability of our forensic tests very seriously,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. “We are committed to addressing this important issue thoroughly, ensuring transparency and taking immediate corrective action to protect the accuracy of ongoing and future incidents. The Sheriff’s department is committed to assessing the impact and to prevent such a situation from happening again.”
It was not immediately clear how long the retest would take.
The Los Angeles County Prosecutor’s Office said it is working with the sheriff’s troops to assess the situation.
“Upon learning of this issue concerning forensic testing on Monday, the District Attorney’s Office has immediately started working with the Sheriff’s Department to assess the scope of the situation in order to ensure that those involved in criminal justice process — defendants, defense counsel, violations, prosecutors, law enforcement, the courts and the public — are kept abreast of developments and in a position to make informed decisions on any actions that may need to take place,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “We will follow the facts in the direction of taking us to individual cases and make decisions that fully comply with the law regarding how to correct certain circumstances that require such correction.
NBCLA reached out to DNA experts for comment.
The Sheriff’s Department has also launched an internal control investigation into the issue to investigate protocols, potential gaps and corrective actions.
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