AG asks counties for number of untested rape kits

LANSING (AP) — Michigan’s attorney general is asking prosecutors to report the number of untested rape-evidence kits in their counties.

Bill Schuette’s letter to county prosecutors is the first step toward the state covering the cost to eliminate an unknown backlog of untested sexual assault kits statewide. The state budget that takes effect this week includes $1.7 million to process the old boxes of evidence in 82 counties not including Wayne County.

Schuette wants to know by Oct. 9 of any backlogged kits older than a year. Once kits are tested, any unspent money will be used to aid local prosecutions and provide victim services.

With state funding, Michigan and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office have tested more than 10,000 rape kits dating back decades that were found in Detroit in 2009.