A Serial Rapist: Male Identification and Crime Scene Analysis in the Cases of a Serial Rapist.

Korean J Leg Med. 2004 May;28(1):24-28. English.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Central District Office of National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea. cns6999@nisi.go.kr

Research Center for Biomedicinal Resources (Bio-Med RRC), Pai-Chai University, Korea.

Department of Biochemistry, Chungnam National University, Korea.

The study presents the application of STR polymorphisms to male identification in the cases of a serial rapist in Korea. Since October 2000 a rapist from Cheongju city (a town located in central district) committed at least 36 rapes. DNA profiles obtained from semen stains, buccal cells and tongue tissue left at the scenes of crime and vaginal swabs of victims gave information that one and the same man had committed all the rapes. The Y-chromosome haplotype (12 loci) obtained was used for the identification process of rapist in mixed genotypes including victim's alleles. The crime scene data were referred from investigating police authorities described the relationship of victim to the offender, victim's age, time and place of sexual assault and rape locations. The behavioural analysis of crime scenes showed more similarities than differences for related crimes. These components were usually assessed in terms of proximity in time and space. Certain crime scene aspects of a serial rapist help identify components of offender spatial behaviour. As a result of this work, future research on the geography of rape and behavioural aspects of rapist will be directed towards those aspects of offences, which have been identified as relevant to the distance between an offender's base, and the site where he approached his victim.

Key Words : STR polymorphisms, Serial rapist, Y-chromosome haplotype, Crime scene