The field of genetic genealogy was developed largely by volunteer family history hobbyists, and Rae-Venter realized that the techniques used to identify family members in adoption cases could have wider uses in law enforcement and the identification of suspects and victims of crime. Some law enforcement agencies were initially dismissive of the idea. Rae-Venter's interest in
genealogy began when she found a relative through a website for sharing
family trees who was looking to identify his biological father. Rae-Venter has been involved in solving several high-profile criminal cases, including the
Bear Brook murders in New Hampshire and the
Golden State Killer in California. In 2018, after her role in using genetics and genealogy to solve crimes became well-known, Rae-Venter was named in
Nature's list of "
10 People who Mattered this Year". She was recognized in the 2019
Time 100 list of most influential people.
Bear Brook murders Rae-Venter's initial involvement with using publicly-available genetic databases and family trees to contribute to criminal investigations started in 2015, when she was asked to assist investigators in identifying the true identity of a woman who had been kidnapped as an infant. The case evolved to require 20,000 hours of work and a significant number of volunteers who were able to identify the woman's birth name and to put her in contact with one of her grandfathers. The identification of this woman led authorities to link her kidnapper to a series of murders in New Hampshire, known as the
Bear Brook murders. In 2019, three of the victims of the Bear Brook murders were identified as 24 year-old Marlyse Elizabeth Honeychurch, and her daughters, Marie Elizabeth Vaughn (6 years old) and Sarah Lynn McWaters (1 year old).
Golden State Killer Paul Holes, a forensic investigator, who had been working on the
Golden State Killer case for decades, initially contacted Rae-Venter in March 2017 for her assistance in using genealogy to search for new leads in the case. In October 2017, Rae-Venter was contributing to the team attempting to identify the killer. Rae-Venter utilized
GEDmatch, Family Tree DNA, and MyHeritage and provided structure to the team's genetic search efforts. In the immediate aftermath of the arrest, Rae-Venter chose not to be publicly identified, out of fears for her personal safety.
Additional cases As one of the first public faces of genetic genealogy in law enforcement in the United States, Rae-Venter has been asked to consult on additional cases, and also to comment on the ethics of using shared community data for law enforcement purposes. She has also been one of the most sought after voices when ethical questions arise about the use of shared genetic data by law enforcement. At the conclusion of the Golden State Killer case, Rae-Venter discussed future cases that she was working on, including the
"Boy in the Box" case in Pennsylvania. ==Personal life==