Investigative genetic genealogy, or forensic genetic genealogy, is the emerging practice of utilizing genetic information from direct-to-consumer companies for identifying suspects or victims in criminal cases.
As of September 2021, the use of this practice has led to the discovery of over 150 suspects of murder and sexual assault.
The investigative power of
genetic genealogy revolves around the use of publicly accessible genealogy databases such as
GEDMatch and
FamilyTreeDNA.