In strangulation cases, assailants can leave DNA behind. It can later be used against them in court.

In strangulation cases, assailants can leave DNA behind. It can later be used against them in court.

When someone is sexually assaulted and goes to a hospital for treatment, a forensic nurse examiner offers what’s called a “physical evidence recovery kit.” The nurse will attempt to collect any biological material left on the victim’s body. That can be tested for DNA and later used in court. Such testing programs have been utilized for more than 30 years in Virginia. But there’s a new kind of state evidence kit — to be used in strangulation case…