DPS crime lab techs clear backlog of toxicology cases

AUSTIN, Texas - The backlog of testing forensic evidence in Texas is now shrinking. It has been a big problem for the past several years, especially with cases involving sexual assault. 

On Wednesday, FOX 7 was allowed inside the DPS lab in North Austin and got an update on the progress.

The backstory:

"We have made a ton of progress this year with a lot of our backlogs," Austin Regional DPS Crime Laboratory Manager Haley Yaklin said.

Crime lab techs with DPS have spent the past year working to clear a backlog of toxicology cases.

"We had quite a bit of a backlog in that section and so, through some funds that we received through that, we were able to decrease our backlog by about 85%," Yaklin said.

The lab is responsible for testing everything from firearms, drugs, fingerprints, and sexual assault cases. The work is submitted by different state and local agencies, including Austin police.

In 2016, an audit found that the Austin police lab was using expired materials and flawed science while processing DNA, possibly botching thousands of cases. The APD lab was closed, adding pressure on the state lab.

In the past year, the DPS lab has processed more than 115,000 requests for forensic testing.

Since March 2022, a backlog of almost 1,500 sexual assault kits, never reviewed, has now been tested.

In 2018, APD cleared its rape kit backlog, some of which dated back to the 1990s. At one time, their backlog was more than 4,000 rape kits. The department had to use other labs to handle DNA testing to get back on track.