--- title: "Cops Use Newborn Baby’s DNA to Nail Dad for Crime from the 90s" description: "Want further proof that we're living in a sci-fi level dystopia? Look no further than to New Jersey, where newly-uncovered records reveal that cops used DNA from a newborn to arrest the child's father for a crime he allegedly committed decades ago. As Wired reports, a public records request filed by the NJ Public Defender's Office […]" date: "2022-08-16" modified: "2022-08-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/newborn-dna-nj-cold-case" categories: - "DNA" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "dna" - "Genetic Privacy" - "genome sequencing" - "police" --- # Cops Use Newborn Baby’s DNA to Nail Dad for Crime from the 90s ![New Jersey has revealed that it used a newborn DNA sample to charge the child's father with a crime from 1996, which begs the question — what next?]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Want further proof that we're living in a sci-fi dystopia? Look no further than New Jersey, where newly-uncovered records reveal that cops used DNA taken from a newborn baby to arrest the child's father for a crime he allegedly committed decades ago. As [*Wired* reports](), a public records request filed by the NJ Public Defender's Office and [the *New Jersey Monitor* nonprofit news organization]() forced the state to reveal that it did indeed use the DNA taken from a newborn infant's blood sample to nail its father for a sexual assault committed in 1996. If it's news to you that blood samples are taken from newborn babies, you're not alone. As *Wired* and [the lawsuit itself]() note, however, most children born in the United States since the 1970s have their blood drawn to test for diseases. In the age of inexpensive genetic analysis, these commonplace newborn samples can apparently become swept into legal drama. As the report notes, these mandatory screenings are often done without the consent of parents, though they can claim religious exemption. After being taken, these newborn samples can even be used in biomedical research, and most states don't require parental consent for that, either. All that said, however, the *NJ Monitor* claimed when it first filed its lawsuit that [it was the first known public instance]() of using newborn DNA to charge a family member. Per the lawsuit, the unnamed father in question learned that the state had successfully subpoenaed a state lab to use his now-nine-year-old child's DNA to establish a familial match for the cold sexual assault case. In particular, he learned about this when being subpoenaed himself to do a cheek DNA swab, which was then found to be a match for the genetic material taken from the 1996 assault. In the suit, the NJ Office of the Public Defender said it believes this use of newborn DNA to get a cheek swab warrant was an "illegal search," and the office is now seeking to find out how often state police use newborn DNA in investigations. "This is like a dystopian onion," OPD attorney Jennifer Sellitti told *Wired* of the case. "Every time we peel back another layer, we find some new violation of privacy." While the use of familial DNA matches in the age of 23andMe is nothing new — the story broke wide open in 2018 when governments used consumer genetic sequencing information [to catch the Golden State Killer]() — the concept of using the DNA of newborn babies, taken without anyone's consent, for law enforcement purposes, feels beyond the pale. **READ MORE:** [Police Used a Baby’s DNA to Investigate Its Father for a Crime]() \[*Wired*\] **More DNA law:** *[Investigators Analyze DNA Sample to Make Arrest in 1975 Murder]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()