LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Kentucky investigators are already seeing results from the FBI’s effort to eliminate a massive DNA processing backlog.
According to the bureau, the backlog dates back to 2024, when nearly 1.8 million DNA samples were awaiting processing. Since then, the FBI has expanded laboratory capacity and automated portions of the process. On Sept. 14, officials announced the backlog had been eliminated.
Read more of the latest Kentucky news
“After inheriting a massive DNA processing backlog, the FBI made the changes necessary to deliver and bring the backlog to ZERO. We’re not slowing down anytime soon,” the FBI Louisville Field Office said in a social media post.
The increased processing capacity is already producing investigative leads. In April 2026, the FBI’s Federal DNA Database Unit uploaded more than 146,000 DNA profiles into the Combined DNA Index System, better known as CODIS.
CODIS is the FBI’s national database that helps investigators identify potential matches between DNA evidence and criminal cases.
LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:
- Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin released from jail early
- Lexington firefighters battle house fire amid 90-degree heat
- Lexington running club renews call for safer streets after deadly hit-and-run
According to the FBI, those uploads generated 35 CODIS hits tied to forensic DNA samples submitted by the Kentucky State Police Central Forensic Laboratory. Six of the newly uploaded profiles resulted in confirmed matches to Kentucky cases…