Qld DNA lab: Excel fail sets back dozens more samples
Scores more forensic DNA samples dating back decades have required retesting following an incorrect formula in an Excel field.
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A crucial forensic testing program has been paused following bombshell revelations that an incorrect Microsoft Excel spreadsheet formula has led to another DNA testing failure.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington revealed 69 samples have had to be retested for 37 paternity and kinship cases relating to sexual assault, rape, coronial inquests and cold cases.
The state government has been told that retesting outcomes of all 37 cases were not impacted by the Excel blunder and will now be handed back to police, who will then determine the next course of action for each case.
“This discovery is incredibly alarming,” Ms Frecklington said.
“While no paternity findings will change, it’s deeply concerning that such errors could be made under the former Labor government, in the latest in a string of failures with the DNA lab.”
Ms Frecklington said they were advised the error was detected in April 2024, with the cases dating from 1982 to 2023.
“The significance of having those results reissued is that matters can come to an end once and for all.
“If there is a mistake in a DNA lab, you’ve got to be upfront and honest with Queenslanders and tell them and make sure Queensland Police have all of the information at hand,” she said.
Ms Frecklington said FSQ does not conduct a large volume of paternity and kinship tests, with only five matters currently waiting to be tested.
Those tests and any future tests will be outsourced until further notice.
Ms Frecklington revealed that in another bungle, a DNA profile was incorrectly linked to a child rape investigation in 2022.
The DNA sample was uploaded to a national database due to human error and was not rectified until two years later.
The latest two blunders were identified outside of the existing investigations into Forensic Science Queensland led by Kirsty Wright and Bruce Budowle.
It comes after an unprecedented testing failure in 2022 revealed more than 100,000 DNA samples were tested using a “fatally flawed” process that resulted in critical criminal evidence being missed.
A second inquiry launched by the former Labor government in 2023, led by Annabelle Bennett and Dr Wright, was scathing in its criticism of Project 13, an automated DNA extraction system.
It was found to have extracted less DNA than comparable methods and was not scientifically validated for use, but the report concluded no individual was to blame.
Ms Frecklington has since announced DNA samples from rape kits, most major crime cases and unidentified human remains will be sent overseas for testing to tackle the state’s DNA backlog.
The reviews by Dr Wright and Mr Budowle are expected to be handed down in the coming months.
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