Officials in Utah announced that the state has eliminated its sexual assault kit backlog five years after reporting more than 2,000 were untested.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that forensic nurse Julie Valentine joined state leaders Thursday outside the Utah crime lab in Taylorsville to make the announcement. She cautioned that residents should not consider it the end of the backlog but instead the “beginning of our continued pursuit for justice and eradicating sexual violence.” Data from the crime lab shows more than 11,000 rape kits statewide have been tested since 2015. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said the turnaround time for testing kits is now 90 days.