Review: 90% of Missouri’s backlogged rape kits untested

Editor's note: This story and headline have been corrected to state 90% of Missouri's backlogged rape kits has not been tested.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A sweeping review has found close to 90% of the backlog of Missouri rape kits has not been tested.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Wednesday only 830 of about 7,000 total kits in the backlog were previously tested.

Rape kits are DNA samplings and other evidence secured via medical procedures conducted immediately after an attack. They can be used by law enforcement and prosecutors to catch and convict rapists.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office began to track the number of untested rape kits in 2017. The agency completed a detailed inventory of kits after receiving help from a federal grant.

The agency estimates it has enough grant money to test at least 1,250 kits. A former judge leading the effort says the office will ask for more money as needed to test every kit.