SLED told state lawmakers that advances in DNA testing and firearms forensics are transforming investigations across South Carolina, linking shootings across counties and helping to solve long-standing cold cases. A 1980 Beaufort County murder was resolved when DNA from a 2016 arrest produced a match. Last year, SLED’s DNA team processed over 14,000 samples and the firearms unit tested more than 1,300 guns, creating links across 54 agencies and three states. Officials say these tools speed justice and provide answers for victims’ families.
How Science and Forensics Help SLED Crack Violent Crimes Across South Carolina
SLED told state lawmakers that advances in DNA testing and firearms forensics are transforming investigations across South Carolina, linking shootings across counties and helping to solve long-standing cold cases. A 1980 Beaufort County murder was resolved when DNA from a 2016 arrest produced a match. Last year, SLED’s DNA team processed over 14,000 samples and the firearms unit tested more than 1,300 guns, creating links across 54 agencies and three states. Officials say these tools speed justice and provide answers for victims’ families.
12:09, 07.11.2025Security
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Science Strengthens Investigations Across the State
Lawmakers heard from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) about how advances in forensic science are helping investigators solve violent crimes — from linking shootings that cross county lines to reopening cold cases decades old.
SLED officials highlighted two specialized teams — the Firearms Identification Unit and the DNA Database Unit — that assist local detectives by connecting evidence across jurisdictions. These units combine laboratory analysis with national databases to find links that would otherwise be missed.
Firearms forensics: Examiners analyze microscopic markings left on bullets and shell casings and enter that information into national ballistic databases. Those matches can show when the same weapon was used in multiple incidents, allowing agencies to coordinate investigations.
“I will say most of our suspects are not old enough to own a firearm,”
SLED Chief Mark Keel emphasized the value of ballistic links in cases such as drive-by shootings: if shell casings recovered from a scene are entered into the database and match others, agencies can be put in touch and pursue leads together even if no suspect is immediately identified.
DNA science: Across the hall, DNA analysts work to identify who committed crimes. South Carolina’s DNA database is connected to the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), allowing matches that can close investigations years later. SLED cited a 1980 Beaufort County murder and sexual assault that was solved when DNA from a 2016 arrest produced a match to evidence from the cold case.
Keel also noted tools that speed investigations: “Rapid DNA instruments aren’t as cost-effective as traditional analysis, but rapid DNA gives you efficiencies in time.”
Last year, SLED’s DNA team analyzed more than 14,000 samples, while the firearms unit tested over 1,300 guns — producing investigative links across 54 agencies and three states. Officials stressed that these scientific advances do more than build cases: they deliver justice faster and bring long-awaited answers to victims’ families.