Linzi Wilson-Wilde quits as Forensic Science Queensland boss

Linzi Wilson-Wilde was suspended as Queensland’s top forensic scientist after The Australian exposed serious issues surrounding criminal investigations.

Forensic Science Queensland director Linzi Wilson-Wilde has resigned. Picture: Liam Kidston

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The boss of Queensland’s troubled DNA lab has quit as the state’s top forensic scientist after being suspended by the state government over fears tests had been contaminated.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington issued Linzi Wilson-Wilde with a show cause notice for removal in late June, revealing Forensic Science Queensland had paused testing after the contamination issues were identified.

On Friday, Ms Frecklington said Dr Wilson-Wilde had resigned from her appointment as FSQ director “effective immediately”.

“Natasha Mitchell, executive manager Forensic Biology, will continue acting in the role of director until a permanent appointment is made,” Ms Frecklington said in a short statement.

“The Crisafulli government is firmly committed to the future of Forensic Science Queensland.”

The latest issues at the lab were discovered by FBI geneticist Bruce Budowle, who identified a robotic instrument used to test samples at the FSQ lab was the source of the contamination. Testing has since resumed.

An investigative podcast by The Australian, Shandee’s Story, revealed serious issues at the lab – which conducts DNA and forensic tests for prosecutions and criminal investigations – and sparked two commissions of inquiry.

The podcast was investigating the unsolved murder of Shandee Blackburn, who was stabbed to death in Mackay in 2013.

Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas and forensic biologist Kirsty Wright revealed the flawed testing practices at the laboratory had compromised the investigation into Blackburn’s murder and thousands of other serious criminal cases.

Dr Wilson-Wilde had reviewed an automated method of DNA extraction for retired judge Walter Sofronoff’s inquiry into the lab in 2022, when she was an expert witness.

But in 2023, Shandee’s Story and Dr Wright revealed a collapse in the DNA yield using that method. At the time, Dr Wilson-Wilde denied that she had missed or overlooked the problem.

Tens of thousands of extra biological samples had to be reviewed and retested as a result of the problem.

After the LNP won the October state election, Ms Frecklington put Dr Wright – the former head of the national DNA database – in charge of guiding the reforms of the lab. Dr Wright and Dr Budowle are collaborating on the independent inquiry into Forensic Science Queensland.

Dr Wilson-Wilde had been chosen by the former Labor government to overhaul the lab, and was hailed by former Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath in September last year as “one of the leading forensic scientists in Australia and New Zealand”.

Linzi Wilson-Wilde gives evidence at the second DNA lab inquiry. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

She is the former director of Forensic Science South Australia, and had worked for police services in Victoria and NSW, as well as the Australian Federal Police.

Dr Wilson-Wilde led the victim identification team after the 2002 Bali bombings.

In May, Ms Frecklington said $50m would be spent to send DNA samples – including rape kits, major crime samples and unidentified human remains – overseas for testing, to reduce the current backlog.

At the time, she said it was taking 63 weeks to process DNA samples from major crimes and return the results to police. The backlog included up to 60 sets of human remains, more than 10,000 major crime samples, and 663 rape kits, including 121 belonging to children or people with a disability.

“The backlogs at Forensic Science Queensland mean a rapist could be walking free on the street or a child could be left living in the same home as their offender – and that is unacceptable,” Ms Frecklington said.