VENTURA COUNTY, Calif.—After years sitting in evidence storage, thousands of sexual assault kits in Ventura County are now being re-examined using advanced DNA technology — leading to new investigative leads and renewed hope for survivors.
The Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, known as VCSAKI, has tested more than 2,000 sexual assault kits so far through a collaboration between the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau.
Emily Reber, a senior deputy district attorney involved in the initiative, said many of the cases are deeply disturbing and emotionally difficult to revisit.
“Sometimes these cases are some of the most horrible cases I've ever read,” Reber said.
Investigators say DNA evidence collected from the kits has generated hundreds of leads through the national Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS database.
So far, officials say 125 cases have been closed, and 21 victims were notified that their cases had been solved because of advances in DNA testing technology.
Reber said one of the most meaningful parts of the work is being able to reconnect with victims years — and sometimes decades — later.
“It’s extremely rewarding to be able to go and meet with a victim and tell them, after 20 years, sometimes older than I am, that we've been able to solve this case,” Reber said.
However, authorities say those conversations can also reopen painful trauma for survivors.
“These conversations, they can be very challenging because victims kind of suppress this information and it kind of catches them off guard,” Reber said. “And they're completely, at times, retraumatized.”
Victim advocates play a major role in helping survivors navigate the process.
Destiny Sao, a victim advocate working with survivors connected to the initiative, said many experience a mix of emotions when they are contacted about developments in their cases.
“The most common emotions that the survivors experience are anger, frustration, anxiety, and sometimes relief,” Sao said. “They express their anger that comes from the lack of resources and the time that it had taken to test their kits. And then they feel relief. They finally feel that somebody is there to believe them and support them throughout this process.”
Officials say prosecutions are not always possible because of statutes of limitations and other legal barriers, but the initiative continues to provide answers and support for survivors.
More than 800 sexual assault kits in Ventura County still need to be tested using advanced forensic methods.
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