She has also acknowledged the real questions raised by the privacy implications of the method, saying she does not think those questions are answered simply by pointing to the good outcome in this case. Her work on the Golden State Killer case was followed by work on other investigations, and she became a significant figure in the forensic genetic genealogy field that the case helped establish.
She was awarded the National Intelligence Medal in 2018 for her work on the case, a recognition that reflected the case’s broader significance beyond local law enforcement.
## GEDmatch and Its Transformation
GEDmatch was founded in 2010 by Curtis Rogers and John Olson, both amateur genealogists. The site was designed as a community resource for family history researchers who wanted to compare DNA data across platforms. It was not designed for law enforcement use. Its terms of service did not address law enforcement access when the Golden State Killer investigation used it.
After DeAngelo’s arrest in April 2018 made the database use public, GEDmatch updated its policies. In May 2019, law enforcement access became opt-in. Users who wanted their profiles available for law enforcement comparison had to actively choose that option. The vast majority of users who had not considered the question did not opt in. The portion of the database available for law enforcement searches dropped significantly.
In December 2019, Verogen, a forensic DNA company, acquired GEDmatch. The acquisition shifted the site from its volunteer-run origins to a commercial entity with an explicit forensic focus. The institutional character of the database changed.