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ABC's 20/20 reported in 2002 that there were hundreds
of thousands of unprocessed rape kits, here in the
United States, that were sitting in police storage units.
This broadcast is what first brought this issue to our
attention and it is what sparked our interest in starting
The Rape Kit Foundation. David B. Wilson Jr's actions,
however, were what fueled the motivation to make it
happen.

From July 2004 until Sept. 19, 2005, Wilson, the son of
a Phoenix police sergeant and self-employed satellite
TV installer, attacked women from Ahwatukee to north
Phoenix. The night of Sept. 19th, Phoenix police
detectives arrested him as he cased out the next
apartment of what they said would have been his next
victim.

Wilson was charged with 79 separate charges including
rape, burglary, and sexual abuse. He pleaded guilty in a
plea agreement to 13 felony counts of sexually
assaulting or attempting to assault young women and
was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Unfortunately, not all rapists are tracked so easily. Some
are currently sitting in jail on unrelated charges, and
others roam free, as their DNA sits in an unprocessed
rape kit on a shelf somewhere. By processing the rape
kit backlog, we can free men who have been wrongly
convicted, bring rapists to justice, and give the rape
survivors closure.

EXAMPLES:
DNA links man to Far Rock rape: DA
“This case underscores yet again the crucial importance
of DNA evidence which is irrefutable proof of guilt or
innocence”
A Pennsylvania man currently serving a prison sentence
in New Jersey was charged in a 1996 Far Rockaway
rape case after DNA evidence linked him to the crime,
the Queens district attorney said.
http://www.topix.net/nyc/2007/05/dna-links-man-to-
far-rock-rape-da

DNA Leads to Arrest in 5-Year-Old Rape Case.
March 13, 2006, DNA evidence helped Fresno police
make an arrest in a five year old rape case. 32-year-old
Martin Morales was arrested after police say DNA
linked him to a July 2001 sexual assault. He now faces
one count of felony forcible rape.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?
section=local&id=399016

As of right now, the Phoenix Police Department has
approximately one thousand unprocessed rape kits
dating back to 1992. The Phoenix Police Department
has said that they do not have the manpower or the
funds to process all of these kits and, because they do
not have enough staff members, they have to send the
backlog to another lab. This will cost between
$550-$675 per rape kit.

The Rape Kit Foundation's goals are to play a major role
in eliminating the rape kit backlog, continue to help
fund the kits that come in thereafter, and to offer
support, prevention tools, and awareness.