Winston-Salem, NC -- Winston-Salem Police Chief Scott Cunningham said Wednesday additional testing doesn't reveal male DNA on the clothing worn by Jill Marker the night she was attacked.
Police have continued their investigation into the 1995 Silk Plant Forest beating that left Marker permanently injured. Kalvin Smith was convicted two years later, but has maintained his innocence.
The Winston-Salem Police Department sent Marker's clothing to LabCorp, Inc on May 21 for "touch" DNA analysis. They hoped to find and identify DNA samples from anyone who touched the clothing.
Detectives also delivered oral swabbings from Jill Marker and Kalvin Michael Smith along with blood samples from a subject of interest.
The results did not add clarification to the guilt or innocence of the Silk Plant Forest case, Cunningham said.
"It is unknown if DNA was present on the clothing at the time of the attack and had deteriorated over the years. It is also unknown if DNA was ever present on the clothing. These
results do not prove or disprove the guilt or innocence of any person associated with this crime," Cunningham said.
The Police Department says they are continuing their review of the entire case and hope to present a comprehensive report in late fall of this year.
Cunningham announced an internal review of the case in September 2009.
Among other things, the internal police review is evaluating the actions of the Police Department and its personnel during the investigation, and considering the Citizen Review Committee's recommendations regarding enhancements to the Winston-Salem Police Department procedures, policies and practices.
In March 2010, the internal review revealed that some items collected had not been tested prior to the initial case against Kalvin Smith. The evidence was not admitted at his trial.
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