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Results are in, but more DNA testing needed in Kimberly Simon

By By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Apr 28, 2010 at 6:47 PM EDT

Story Updated: Apr 28, 2010 at 7:09 PM EDT

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Investigators on the Kimberly Simon Task Force waited seven months for a world-class laboratory in Texas to tell them that their persons of interest in the case can't be ruled out; not exactly the slam dunk they were hoping for.

Scientists at Cellmark were unable to enhance a diminished DNA sample enough to give investigators a complete genetic profile. There is, however, one last form of testing that Cellmark scientists are pursuing. It involves separating victim Kimberly Simon's own DNA from DNA that someone, presumably her killer, left behind.

"Just think of it right now as a mixture and they can't get a good reading of the male part of it," says task force member Rich Ferrucci. "Once they can pull the female out, they'll be able to totally just look at the male."

While scientists at Cellmark are working on that separation, others there are re-examining an article of Simon's clothing, but with new hope.

"They're re-testing her shirt at this time," Ferruci said. "There is a male profile on there; the problem being there were some contaminants in there, because of what happened during the death of the victim; they're working on separating that right now."

Ferrucci hopes to have some answers from the Texas lab in the next four weeks or so. If the lab produces a full genetic profile and that profile doesn't match any that the task force already has, there may be the option of submitting it to a national DNA database.

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