Swedish Police Actively Deploy DNA Genealogy to Solve Cold Cases and Serious Crimes in 2025
The Swedish police have begun actively using the legally authorized DNA genealogy method to solve cold cases and serious crimes, aiming to crack multiple cases by the end of 2025.
- • Swedish police have legal authority since July 1, 2025, to use DNA genealogy in ongoing and cold investigations.
- • The method helped identify the perpetrator of the 2004 Linköping double murder during a 2020 pilot.
- • Work is underway to apply the method to several cases by the end of 2025, but no matches have been found yet.
- • DNA genealogy can be used not only in murder cases but also serious sexual offenses, with strict legal and investigative prerequisites.
Key details
The Swedish police have officially embraced DNA genealogy as a powerful investigative tool to crack cold cases and serious crimes, following its legal authorization from July 1, 2025. This method, pioneered in the USA and piloted in Sweden in 2020, notably identified the perpetrator of a 2004 double murder in Linköping. Since gaining legal backing, the National Forensic Centre (NFC) has intensified efforts to deploy DNA genealogy across multiple cases, spanning murders and serious sexual offenses.
Erik Borendal, head of the laboratory unit at NFC, described the method as promising, with efforts currently focused on testing a handful of cases by the end of 2025. However, no definitive matches have been secured yet. To initiate investigations using DNA genealogy for cold cases, prosecutors must approve reopening cases, and traditional investigative methods must first be exhausted. DNA evidence quality and genealogical database completeness significantly influence the process duration, which can vary from weeks to years, or even yield no matches.
The investigative process consists of four key steps: analyzing DNA samples, comparing them against genealogy databases, generating potential suspect lists, and confirming suspects through DNA testing, either voluntarily or via compulsory collection. This technique aims not only to solve historical cases but also to identify active offenders potentially responsible for ongoing crimes, enhancing Swedish police capabilities to tackle violent crime more effectively.
The method’s successful breakthrough in the Linköping double murder case, where genealogist Peter Sjölund assisted in identifying the perpetrator, established its potential. With formal legislative support now in place, Swedish law enforcement is optimistic about the method's growing role in criminal investigations, marking a significant advancement in forensic science application in Sweden.