As of late February, 1,407 people in Colorado are waiting for DNA results from their sexual assault cases 鈥� some of them for more than a year. Without those results, criminal investigations can stall out and victims are left in a difficult state of limbo. Colorado lawmakers have taken up the issue this legislative session 鈥� and one of their own is a part of this backlog.
and examine the factors that have bogged down testing, how lawmakers and officials are trying to fix it, and the human toll of it all.
The process to collect physical and photographic evidence of a sexual assault is often drawn out and invasive, potentially retraumatizing victims. And what happens with the DNA testing that follows has none of the speed of an episode of 鈥淟aw & Order.鈥� Instead, evidence kits can spend more than a year just sitting on a shelf 鈥� delays that can harm both victims, and their legal cases.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation agrees the current turnaround time is unacceptable. And the agency has faced a backlog before. In 2013, the number of untested kits was even greater than now. But within three years, they were able to clear the backlog, mainly by outsourcing testing.
They blame a confluence of factors for the problem鈥檚 reemergence. A series of staff departures left the CBI with too few trained scientists. And has been accused of manipulating results.
Lawmakers began to be aware of the problem in the past year, but one legislator has been instrumental in pushing the issue to the forefront during the 2025 legislative session. State Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, has spoken out publicly about a sexual assault that she says she experienced last year 鈥� and about the toll the delay in having the case resolved has taken on her personally.
Purplish is produced by CPR 暗黑爆料 and the Capitol 暗黑爆料 Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC 暗黑爆料, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Purplish鈥檚 producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner.
Colorado Capitol coverage is produced by the Capitol 暗黑爆料 Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC 暗黑爆料, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
