GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – More than 4,000 sexual assault kits are now sitting in the State Law Enforcement Division’s lab in Columbia as survivors are waiting nearly 1,000 days on average to get results, according to a new report obtained by FOX Carolina.
The data comes from the Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System (SAKTS) semiannual report, published by SLED twice a year — once in January and once in July. The tracking system went live in December 2023, allowing survivors to follow the progress of their kits online.
Wait times continue to grow
According to the latest report, it takes an average of 305 days for a kit to be transferred to the SLED lab. Once there, it takes an average of 692 additional days to be tested. Combined, survivors whose kits are tested wait an average of nearly two years and nine months for results.
There is no law in South Carolina requiring that sexual assault kits be tested at all.
SLED shows progress is being made
SLED said in the report that it is making progress. Since the tracking system launched, 757 kits have been tested. A third of those were completed in the last six months.
Full scope of backlog still unknown
Despite the new data, officials still do not have a complete picture of the backlog. While more than 4,000 kits are now logged in the system, agencies are still adding both old and new cases to it…