Evidence from up to 70,000 rape cases nationwide will get long-awaited DNA testing, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced Wednesday as he pledged as much as $35 million to help eliminate a backlog that has long troubled authorities, victims and lawmakers.
Experts estimate hundreds of thousands of rape kits swabs and specimens gathered during examinations of victims remain to be tested for genetic evidence that could identify or eliminate a suspect. Some kits have languished for decades.
