CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) demanded answers and sought solutions to the state crime lab’s backlog of DNA from nearly 700 murder cases during a Senate Public Health and Criminal Law committee hearing this afternoon.

“The backlog in murder DNA processing at the state crime lab is unacceptable,” Van Pelt said. “Technology exists to test DNA in under two hours, yet DNA from nearly 700 murder cases from the past few years is still backlogged. Law enforcement needs to be taking advantage of this technology. There are 700 families waiting for answers. They deserve closure.”

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The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Apprentice & Training Program is accepting applications for future General Construction Pre-Apprenticeship training classes.

Each candidate must present the following requirements at the Apprentice Program Office, 1256 Estes Ave, Elk Grove Village, between the hours of 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, no later than Thursday, April 4, 2019:

1. Letter of recommendation on a local union letterhead, signed by an officer
2. Must be at least 17 years old (driver's license or state identification card required)
3. Copy of either high school diploma, high school transcripts (must have official school seal - 8 credits minimum), or G.E.D. certificate
4. Copy of social security card or a receipt showing duplicate card has been applied for
5. A $25 non-refundable application processing fee (money orders and cashiers checks only - no cash)

All five above-listed requirements must be submitted at the time of filing.

Further details will be mailed to each applicant regarding the required pre-test session and aptitude test dates.

CBS2 Chicago - February 28, 2019 | original article

CHICAGO (CBS) — Some people in Chicago are now demanding answers after CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman first reported on dozens of unsolved murders dating back 20 years. Many of those investigations have been delayed by backlogs in analyzing DNA.

A group prayed and read off the names of the 50 victims at a community meeting Wednesday night.

CBS 2 disclosed that those women were strangled, their bodies dumped in abandoned buildings, alleys and even garbage containers. Some were even set on fire.

“I saw the piece that you did and it was shocking,” said Beverly Reed Scott, who organized the meeting.

Among the attendees was State Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, who had previously asked police about a possible serial killer.

“And they assured us that there was not any evidence of it,” she said. “But with that piece that aired the other night on channel 2, it raises the question again that maybe there is.”

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