My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)(78)
“Did I tell you where those samples were obtained?”
“The DNA samples you provided had been kept by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab as part of a police investigation into the disappearance of a young woman named Sarah Crosswhite.”
“Would you provide the court with a brief overview of DNA testing?”
“The court is familiar with DNA analysis and testing,” Meyers said, scribbling notes and not raising his head. “Move along.”
“Did you perform DNA testing on the blood and hair samples I provided to you?”
“We did,” Scott said, and he provided an overview of the tests performed.
“Were those tests available back in 1993?”
“No, they were not.”
“Starting with the blood, were you able to obtain a DNA profile from the samples provided?”
“Because of the age of the samples and the manner in which they had been stored, as well as possible cross-contamination, it was not possible to obtain a full DNA profile.”
“Were you able to obtain a partial DNA profile on any blood sample?”
“Just one.”
“And could you make any definitive conclusions about that sample based on that partial profile?”
“Only that it belonged to a male.”
“You could not identify a specific individual?”
“No.”
Dan nodded and checked his notes. Scott’s findings confirmed House’s assertion that the blood was his and lent some credibility to his contention that he’d cut himself working in the furniture shop and had gone to his truck to get his cigarettes before going inside to clean his scratches and scrapes. Dan continued. “Would you describe the testing performed on the hair samples?”
“We examined each sample microscopically. Of the thirteen strands of hair we examined, seven strands had roots which allowed us to run DNA profiles.”
“And did you obtain a DNA profile on any of those seven strands?”
“We obtained DNA profiles from five strands.”
“Did you run those profiles through the state and national databases that store DNA profiles?”
“Yes we did.”
“And did those DNA profiles from the hairs match any DNA profiles stored in the state and national databases?”
“Yes, we obtained what we call ‘positive hits’ on three of the five samples.”
“What does a positive hit mean?”
“It means that the DNA profile we obtained from three of the hair samples matched a DNA profile that is on file in the state and national databases.”
“Thank you, Mr. Scott. Now, let’s go back a moment. Did I provide you with any other item to test for DNA?”
“Yes, you provided me with a strand of blond hair and asked that it be independently analyzed.”
“Did I tell you where I obtained that independent strand of blond hair?”
“No, you did not.”
“Did you obtain a DNA profile from the independent strand of blond hair?”
“We did, and we ran that DNA profile through the state and national DNA databases and obtained a positive hit.”
“Dr. Scott, would you identify the person in the state database whose DNA matched the DNA you obtained from the independent strand of blonde hair that I gave to you?”
“The DNA profile matched the DNA profile in the state database for a law enforcement officer, Detective Tracy Crosswhite.”
Tracy felt the gaze of the gallery shift to her.
“Okay. You testified you also matched the DNA profile on three strands of hair in the police file to an individual’s DNA profile in the state database. Would you identify that individual?”
“The DNA obtained from the three strands of hair also matched the DNA in the state database for Tracy Crosswhite.”
The gallery stirred.
“Oh my God,” someone muttered.
Meyers rapped his gavel once, restoring silence.
“Just to be clear, the DNA obtained from the three strands of hair in the police investigative file, which were obtained from the interior of the red Chevy stepside truck, belonged to Tracy Crosswhite?”
“That is correct.”
“What are the odds that you’re wrong?” Dan asked.
Scott smiled. “Billions to one.”
“Dr. Scott, you said you also obtained a DNA profile for the two other strands of hair.” Dan turned and pointed to Tracy. “Those two strands did not belong to detective Crosswhite?”
“They did not.”
“Were you able to determine anything definitive about those samples?”
“Actually, yes. The two strands belonged to a person genetically related to Detective Crosswhite.”
“Related how?” Dan asked.
“A sibling,” Scott said.
“A sister?” Dan asked.
“Most definitely a sister.”
[page]CHAPTER 48
As Harrison Scott stepped down from the witness stand following Vance Clark’s brief cross-examination, Judge Meyers turned his attention to Vance Clark. “Mr. Clark, does the State wish to call any witnesses?”
Meyers’s tone intimated he didn’t think it wise, and for all practical purposes, who could the State call? The witnesses from 1993 had all been on the stand, and this time they had been less than stellar in their performances.