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9 People Charged So Far From Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Backlog

AG Josh Kaul Says He Expects Number Of Charged To Grow

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sexual assault evidence collection kit
A sexual assault evidence collection kit is checked in by a forensic analyst for testing in the biology lab at the Houston Forensic Science Center Thursday, April 2, 2015, in Houston. Pat Sullivan/AP Photo

Charges have been filed against nine people so far as a result of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s work to test thousands of kits containing evidence collected from sexual assault victims.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul said in an interview Wednesday he expects that number to increase as more tests are completed and prosecutors review evidence. Thirty-five cases have been referred for charging decisions to date.

There were nearly 4,500 sexual assault kits designated for testing as part of an effort that began in 2016 to clear a backlog of untested kits. Of those, about 1,600 have shown DNA results warranting further investigation.

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The DOJ has reviewed all but about 300 of those.

Only 101 kits have yet to be tested or are in the process.

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