New federal funding aims to address the Metro Police Crime Lab’s backlog of sexual assault kits

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – When Eliza Fletcher, a Memphis mother and kindergarten teacher, was murdered more than two years ago, the issue of untested sexual assault kits in Tennessee came to light outside the case.

Police say the man convicted of Fletcher’s murder should have been arrested in connection with a rape that occurred years earlier. However, the rape kit in this case was not tested, so he remained a free man.

“The perpetrators of these crimes are ticking time bombs and waiting to find their next victim,” said Verna Wyatt, co-founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims.

In response to this thoroughly investigated backlog, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation not only ramped up testing, but also ordered 1,100 kits from a Florida lab.

Leaders say these initiatives have tripled the processing rate from 2022.

“The sooner they get them off the streets, the safer they will be,” Wyatt said. “It’s just a fact.”

Metro Police leaders hope to emulate that practice here. Under the grant they received from the federal government, if approved by the Metro Council, they would allocate almost a quarter of a million dollars to their own arrears problems they say they are facing.

Some of the funds, as provided for in Art grant applicationwill also be allocated to the expansion of the MNPD Forensic Biology Laboratory, where these kits are tested.

“The sooner you catch this person, the sooner they won’t have the opportunity to create another victim,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt has been an advocate for victims in Tennessee for decades. Since her own sister was raped and murdered, she has dedicated her life so that families don’t have to go through the same pain alone.

He believes that outsourcing untested kits will advance the justice victims deserve.

“It’s terrifying to have a victim waiting, not knowing who the perpetrator is,” Wyatt said. “I think most victims think, ‘Oh well, maybe he’ll come back and get me again.’ But they also think, “he’ll do it again.”

Wyatt hopes that outsourcing will not only fix the backlog, but also prevent the number of repeat offenders from creating a huge victim network.

“I would say that the long-term costs of victimization are much greater than dealing with it from the beginning,” Wyatt said.

The resolution will be presented to the Metro Council Public Health and Safety Committee at its meeting on Thursday, November 7.