Investigative genetic genealogy links man to series of sexual assaults in Northern California

A man suspected in a series of sexual assaults in Northern California that occurred over a decade ago was arrested in New York after police identified him with the help of investigative genetic genealogy, authorities announced Tuesday.

The use of the relatively new DNA technology revealed a full DNA profile connected to three sexual assault cases in the Sacramento area that were unsolved for years. The DNA profile and further investigation identified Kabeh Cummings, 35, as the suspect in an assault in 2013 and two other incidents in 2010, according to Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester.

Cummings was arrested in New York and was extradited back to Sacramento, California, last week, where he was booked into the county jail on multiple sexual assault charges, Lester said. The investigation was done in partnership with the county sheriff's office, the district attorney’s office and the FBI.

"At the end of the day, it is always about the victims and the voices of victims that must be heard," Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said in a news conference Tuesday. "It was through the tireless efforts of all the agencies involved here today that brought him to justice... it's a testament to DNA evidence."

Ho added Cummings faces a "maximum period of incarceration in prison of over 180 years to life" if he is convicted. The suspect was arraigned Wednesday on numerous felony charges of kidnapping, rape, and sodomy, among others, according to online jail records.

Records show that Cummings bail was set at $3.5 million. He is expected for another court appearance on Sept. 13.

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Cases were unsolved for over a decade

Cummings is accused of sexually assaulting two women in February and March 2010 and a third woman in September 2013, according to authorities.

Authorities said the suspect used a similar pattern of attack. In the two incidents in 2010, Lester said Cummings grabbed both women from behind and strangled them in headlocks. After sexually assaulting them, the suspect fled.

The victims reported the assaults to police and investigators collected DNA samples, which were entered into the Combined DNA Index System, a national database of DNA profiles from criminal cases.

"At that time, there were no hits in this system, and the case went cold," Lester said. "However, we have now found that the DNA samples collected from each of these cases as well as a case from the Sacramento Sheriff's Office are from the same person."

In September 2013, the Sacramento Sheriff's Office investigated an incident where a woman was assaulted in an incorporated area of Sacramento County. The suspect had grabbed the victim at gun point, according to Assistant Sheriff LeeAnneDra Marchese.

The case had also gone cold, Marchese said. But in 2019, detectives began follow-up investigations and reviews of cold case sexual assault reports.

Marchese said additional testing evidence was requested in 2021 for the 2013 attack, which led to the development of a full DNA profile the following year. Cummings was identified as the alleged attacker in the three cases and was located in New York City.

It's unclear when Cummings moved to New York but authorities said he had lived in Sacramento when the three attacks occurred. Ho said investigative genetic genealogy was used to identify the suspect but did not provide further details on the investigation.

Authorities are asking the public to contact them if they have any additional information on victims.

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Use of genetic genealogy

Investigative genetic genealogy has been a central technique in several high-profile criminal cases where genetic information has been used to identify and find connections between suspects and victims.

The practice has emerged in recent years, allowing law enforcement to enter DNA samples collected from cases into a national database to find a match. The infamous case of the Golden State Killer, who was identified in 2018, was widely credited for bringing the DNA profiling technique into the limelight as a criminal investigation tool.

"In regards to the genetic genealogy... this is a valid technique that we've used in this office to not only find individuals who committed crimes but also exonerate people who were falsely accused as well," Ho said. "It's a technique that continues to be used across the country."

But the technique has also received widespread scrutiny, raising concerns about people's privacy. Experts have said technological improvements have made it easier to develop DNA profiles from smaller amounts of biological evidence, such as skin cells left on a gun or piece of clothing.

Discarded DNA has been used as key evidence in recent years, including in the case of the Long Island Gilgo Beach murders, where an architect was charged after detectives matched DNA from a pizza he ate to a male hair found on the one of the woman’s remains.

Despite there being safeguards in place for criminal databases, critics have questioned direct-to-consumer companies that don't have regulations for user data — which can have huge implications for privacy.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY