Thanks to DNA tests, police have solved decades-old cold cases, errant dog owners have been tracked down for failing to scoop up their pets’ messes and long-lost family members have been reunited.
Once a tool only available to investigators, DNA test kits can now be ordered online and shipped to a buyer’s door within days, meaning discoveries about our ancestry and heritage have never been easier.
While DNA testing has proven to be useful for helping to solve crimes and filling in the blanks in family trees, the related databases have also raised ethical questions about police’s use of forensic genealogy and the potential for genealogical DNA test results to disrupt family relations, among other concerns.
For example, a recent case in the Vancouver area involved undercover police posing as tea marketers, using their front to collect DNA samples as they investigated the death of a teenager. And an unsuspecting relative’s innocent DNA test led to the identification of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case out of California.
Those examples are tied to violent crime, but even small discoveries can cause upset.
“You’re meeting family that you didn’t know existed, and that can be very psychologically disruptive and a huge stress to mental health and family harmony,” Robert Whitley, an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University, told CTVNews.ca in 2022.
Alternately, taking a test might lead a person to rediscover their heritage, connect with family members they didn’t know they had or other positive surprises.
CTVNews.ca is looking to speak to Canadians about their experience with genealogical DNA tests from companies such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA, Living DNA, Vitagene, LetsGetChecked and Futura Genetics.
What was your experience with the test and the results?
What were you surprised by? What did the test uncover?
Did you discover something you didn’t know, or were wrong about? Did a test prompt further research, leading to any discoveries?
Did your results help solve a cold case or something similar?
What impact, if any, did your results have on your family? Have you tried a pet DNA test?
Share your story by emailing us at [email protected] with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
