[originaltext] In 1988, 20-year-old Lynette White was fatally stabbed in Sou

In 1988, 20-year-old Lynette White was fatally stabbed in South Wales. The murder went unsolved for 15 years, until a fresh DNA sweep of her apartment in 2000 turned up spots of blood on a skirting board that had been missed the first time around. British police ran the results through a national DNA database of known criminals, but didn’t turn up anyone with an exact match. They did, however, notice someone whose DNA profile was close: a 14-year-old boy who was not even alive when White was murdered but who had gotten into trouble with the cops. DNA testing of the boy’s family eventually led police to Jeffrey Gafoor, the boy’s paternal uncle, whose DNA exactly matched that of the blood sample. When questioned, Gafoor admitted to murdering White. The case was a dramatic example of "kinship analysis," which could become more common as the practice of collecting DNA for crimes increases and the technique becomes more systemized and efficient, researchers said Thursday. But widespread use of the technique raises issues about civil liberties violations, they caution. Studies have shown that a person’s chances of committing a crime go up if a parent or sibling had previously done so. And a 1999 US Department of Justice survey found that 46 percent of jail inmates had at least one close relative who had been incarcerated. Britain has adopted a policy where almost any run-in with the law, even minor ones, will allow police to collect DNA. In the United States, the rules vary depending on the state. Currently, the US criminal database contains DNA samples of about 3 million people. Despite the potential usefulness of the technique, experts worry that maintaining a DNA database of criminal relatives could reflect -- perhaps even amplify -- demographic disparities already present in the criminal justice system.