COLUMBUS, Ohio — Finding the puzzle pieces and putting them together. That's what Amanda Reno has dedicated her life to doing.
“I use genetic genealogy DNA and genealogy to provide leads to investigators and violent crime investigations,” Reno explained.
She got into her line of work to help adoptees find their biological parents.
“I was impacted by that personally about 8 years ago. That turned into helping on John and Jane Doe cases, then law enforcement cases,” she said.
Reno worked with the Columbus Division of Police in 2020, when genealogy and DBNA were used to identify the murderer of 8-year-old Kelly Ann Prosser, who was kidnapped and killed in 1982.
Now, Columbus police have hired Reno on part-time to help give cold case detectives clues to help solve their homicide and violent crimes cases.
“It's meaningful to me because I know there's a victim, there's a family, there's a community. There are investigators who have all waited for those leads for so long,” Reno said.
She has looked through case files to find samples that have DNA that have not been tested. Those samples will be sent to CPD's lab, then to a couple of different DNA banks in hopes of giving investigators a path.
So far she has identified about 50 cases that could benefit from the DNA testing. She can help get leads on homicide and violent crimes in months and as quickly as a few hours.
“She is a valuable asset and I think it allows them the opportunity to generate leads. I think that is very important. It is a lead, it's something that gives them the opportunity to further the investigation,” said Columbus Police Major Crimes Commander Mark Denner.
Denner says Reno's position is likely a first in the state, and perhaps one of only a few working for a division in the country.
“I think it gives a lot of hope not only to us, but I think to possibly families to seek justice and puts closure to these cases,” he said.
“I grew up here in Central Ohio. This is my home. I feel like it all starts at home. To be able to work on these cases, the cases I have seen in the news across my own life, that I have heard about, it is very meaningful to me to be able to have an impact on my own community,” Reno said.