CINCINNATI -- Attorney General Jim Petro joined Hamilton County Coroner Carl L. Parrott to announce that DNA samples included in a recently processed batch collected from 19,271 Ohio prison inmates have been scientifically linked to evidence from 202 unsolved crimes, including seven Cincinnati rapes matched to an inmate currently incarcerated at the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster.

“This further reinforces the importance of DNA in solving cold cases and preventing future crimes,” Petro said. “It’s amazing to think that simply by collecting DNA from convicted offenders, we have been able to significantly aid such a staggering number of investigations.”

Of the matches, six inmate samples have been linked to multiple cases. Four samples were linked to two crimes each, one to six crimes and another to seven crimes -- the sample provided by the alleged Cincinnati East Side Rapist. As a result of that link, 33-year-old inmate Lamont Jam Wilks is suspected of committing the series of rapes that occurred from June 4, , to Dec. 22, . The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office conducted the DNA analysis of evidence collected from the rape victims.

“We are proud of the role that the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office plays in law enforcement from the crime scene, to the lab and to the courtroom,” Parrott said. “It is the experience and dedicated leadership of criminal justice agencies from the county level to the Attorney General’s Office that collaborate in order to achieve these results.”

DNA is collected from violent felons upon their entry into Ohio’s penal system. The inmate DNA samples are then sent to the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI). From there, most of the samples are forwarded to private laboratories for processing. Upon their return to BCI, the inmate DNA samples are entered into a computer, where they are compared to a database of DNA evidence collected from unsolved crimes. All hits are immediately reported to the law-enforcement agencies investigating the unsolved crimes. From there, BCI scientists verify each match.

Additionally, Petro supports House Bill 525, which would require all inmates convicted of a felony and a few serious misdemeanors to submit their DNA samples.

Source: Ohio Attorney General