Maine State Police Partners with Othram to Identify a 1990s Serial Sexual Predator

Decades later, 56-year old Jason Follette of Gouldsboro is identified as the suspect in multiple 1990s assaults, marking the first sex assault case solved in Maine with Forensic Genetic Genealogy
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Published November 09 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In 1996, Maine State Police began investigating a sexual assault of a 21-year old woman, who was attacked in her own apartment in Hancock County, Maine. During the investigation, DNA from an unidentified male was collected from the apartment that the assault occurred in. Using an STR profile developed from the crime scene, the unknown assailant was connected to at least four other assault cases. In August 2022, an arrest warrant was issued for “John Doe.” specific to the 1996 case.

In addition to the Maine State Police, several other agencies were involved in this long running investigation. They include the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Maine Marine Patrol, and the Hancock DA’s office. Many leads were pursued and many persons of interested were excluded as suspects based on DNA testing but the serial predator for these crimes was never identified.

In 2022, the Maine State Police tried, for the first time, to leverage advanced DNA testing and Forensic Genetic Genealogy to identify the unknown serial predator. Forensic DNA evidence was sent to Othram. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for the suspect and Othram's in-house genealogy team performed the genealogical research for the case.

Investigative leads were returned to Maine State Police detectives and the investigation continued. Detectives were then able to confirm 56-year-old Jason Follette as the suspect in the 1996 sexual assault. Follette is further suspected of attacking multiple other woman. The trauma of those attacks still affect the victims to this day. The identity of the female victim in the 1996 case has been withheld for privacy as she survived the attack. Today she is 47 years old.

Follette was arrested at a pier in Gouldsboro in November 2022. So far, he has been charged with one count of gross sexual assault. This is the first sexual assault case solved in Maine using Forensic Genetic Genealogy. This case page will be updated with more details as soon as more information becomes available.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.