SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. -- A 26-year-old man, already in jail for an unrelated crime, was charged with sex crimes against a child after his DNA matched that of the person who had sex with a young teen, according to the Virginia Attorney General's Office.
Dyron R. Williams, Sr., of Spotsylvania, becomes the first person charged after Virginia made a concerted effort to eliminate the state's rape kit backlog.
Williams' DNA was collected as part of a PERK in 2012 and just recently uploaded to the national DNA database.
"This is why every single PERK kit needs to be tested every time, and it’s why we’ve been working so hard to eliminate the backlog of untested kits once and for all," Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said. "By testing these kits and entering the information into the DNA database we can identify suspects, link crimes by unknown suspects, make our communities safer, and hold perpetrators accountable."
A new statewide PERK (rape kit) tracking system launched in Virginia last month. The online tracking system gives victims, police, hospitals, and the Department of Forensic Science access to monitor kits every step of the way -- from the moment one leaves the hospital. Survivors are given a document at the hospital, which provides them with a link, and other useful information, to access the online system.