Danish Parliament is set to vote on a proposal to allow police to utilize genetic genealogy in investigations of serious crimes, including murder, gross violence, and rape. The tool is not intended for use in solving lesser crimes, such as burglary.

Currently, Danish police are limited to using family searching, also known as kinship searching, to identify potential perpetrators. Family searching typically only identifies close relatives, but genetic genealogy can reach individuals who share distant ancestors, such as great-great-grandparents.

The updated DNA tools have recently gained attention following charges against a 57-year-old man suspected of raping and attempting to kill an 11-year-old girl in 1999. Family searching was instrumental in leading the police to the suspect, who has been in custody since December. Kinship searching has also been crucial in solving other older, serious cases.

The proposed bill suggests that police should be able to search private databases like GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA, where users must explicitly consent to their DNA being used by law enforcement for investigations. Despite the potential for solving more cases, ethical concerns remain regarding the consent extending to family members who share DNA with the consenting individual. According to Associate Professor Mikkel Meyer Andersen, a mathematical and statistical assessment of DNA evidence researcher at Aalborg University, from a statistical standpoint, the use of genetic genealogy is expected to increase the number of solved criminal cases.