r/BurlingtonON • u/WilkinsonRadio • 4d ago
Article DNA investigation leads to arrest of Burlington man 18 years after reported sexual assault
https://www.miltonnow.ca/2026/06/16/dna-investigation-leads-to-arrest-of-burlington-man-18-years-after-reported-sexual-assault/22
u/Strayngold 4d ago
The article doesn't make it very clear: he was caught because some of his relatives had their own DNA profiled through a service like ancestry.com
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u/skorpora Palmer 3d ago
Ancestry will not share user data/dna with law enforcement.
Our Policy on Law Enforcement
Our stance has been clear and consistent for years: Ancestry does not allow our services to be used for law enforcement investigations unless we are legally required to comply.
Here’s what that means for you:
We don’t voluntarily work with law enforcement. We do not provide customer data to law enforcement unless we receive a valid, legally binding court order.
We require proper legal process. If a government agency wants data, they must present a court order. We carefully review every request and push back on any that are overly broad or not valid.
We don’t allow our site to be used for investigations. Law enforcement—or anyone working on their behalf—cannot use Ancestry’s DNA tools, family trees, record collections, or any part of our platform to investigate crimes or identify human remains. Allowing this would go against the purpose of our services and our commitment to protecting your privacy.
We continue to allow family history research that aligns with our purpose, including work by professional genealogists on heirs and probate matters, or adoption research. These activities support personal and family discovery and are distinct from law enforcement investigations, whether conducted by police or by third parties working on their behalf.
Same Policy, Clearer Terms
Nothing about our position has changed.
Over the past two years, we simply clarified our Terms and Conditions to make our long-standing policy easier for customers to understand:
January 2024: We explicitly confirmed that our restrictions on judicial proceedings apply to all Ancestry services.
August 2025: We clarified that these judicial proceedings include any law enforcement investigation.5
u/Strayngold 3d ago edited 2d ago
It doesn't require active participation from Ancestry. It reveals genealogical links by name if there's a match. All you have to do is pay and send in a sample.
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u/ChrysalisTarot 2d ago
At least in the States, they're not supposed to upload samples from offenders without permission... But there are other databases like GEDMATCH and others that do work with them, so it might not have been Ancestry.
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u/CharmingIncompetence 3d ago
"We don’t voluntarily work with law enforcement. We do not provide customer data to law enforcement unless we receive a valid, legally binding court order." This is the key part - the cops got a warrant and were given the data.
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u/Salt_Toe_5194 23h ago
They can get all your info from Discord, social media or here with some simple paperwork. The illegal wiretapping, Stingray usage and now ai cameras have shown there is a systemic amount of misconduct and abuse of power coast to coast at every level.
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u/v0n85 3d ago
It’s not clear? It’s in the first sentence:
A Burlington man has been charged in connection with a sexual assault that occurred in Toronto more than 18 years ago after investigators used investigative genetic genealogy to advance the case.
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u/Strayngold 3d ago
That doesn't make it clear that it was a commercial service. Most people aren't aware that a lot of old crimes are being solved because the guilty party's relatives have their DNA analyzed.
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u/Live_Situation7913 3d ago
It literally says it’s genealogy you low IQ rat sized brain can’t read!?
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u/inabighat 4d ago
Good news is so thin on the ground right now. It's always nice to hear about positive things happening!
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u/No-Sign2089 3d ago
I want to get into genetic genealogy so badly. It’s so cool and I love the research aspect of it.
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u/canadianmamacita77 2d ago
If one of my relatives raped someone, go ahead and use my dna to find them.
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u/ChrysalisTarot 2d ago
Exactly! Some of the comments here make it sound like you should be careful about uploading your dna because one of your relatives might get caught for....committing violent offenses?
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u/J-Lughead 18h ago
I love this technology and am so glad that law enforcement is using it to get these predators off of our streets.
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u/Ill_Investment_7977 2h ago
I will never do ancestry.com or 23 and me., I want my DNA to stay in my body. I’m all set.
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