"There are family members waiting for answers, and they won't be around forever," Othram founder and CEO David Mittelman said. "When we see an opportunity to do some good, we've got a case that we know is tractable, the evidence is good. There's no scientific barrier, right? The only real barrier is that they just don't have funding."
Funding comes from different sources like crowdfunding, philanthropists, or sponsorships. The goal is to raise $7,500 for the case of Bastrop County Jane Doe. "New technology has got to make its way into the budgets," Mittelman said. "It bridges that gap between when they can get funded and now so we can still help families."We can access information from evidence that's been previously considered unusable or unworkable," he said.
As long as there is DNA that can be extracted in a case, they look out why testing may not have worked before. They'll do a multi-point inspection and see if they can make a DNA profile. If not, they hold onto it and can come back to it. The lab does forensic-grade genome sequencing to make a digital profile. They can see if there are any family connections and look at the historical origins. The process can take a few days up to 12 weeks, especially if the evidence is older."We're in a constant state of iteration, and I think that'll continue as this technology becomes more robust," Mittelman said.