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CNN Live Today
Interview with Ben Ermini
Aired May 13, 2002 - 14:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: One of the hottest promotional items today is the child DNA identification kit. In fact, car dealerships across the country are now giving them away.
According to "USA Today" today, no less than 300,000 kits have been distributed at dealerships throughout the South and the East and the Midwest, and begging the question now, how necessary are such tests.
Let's talk about it with Ben Ermini from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, live in Washington.
Sir, good afternoon to you.
BEN ERMINI, NATL. CTR. FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: Good afternoon.
HEMMER: Why is this the rage?
ERMINI: I think it's extremely important, because fingerprints of a child are not always available. We used to rely on fingerprints and dental charts, and now there's always information available, if a DNA test has been done or a DNA sample has been taken, we can verify and identify a child.
HEMMER: How do you find parents react to that, sir?
ERMINI: I think parents have been reacting favorably to it. I think that it's a very simple process. Simply by swabbing the inside of the child's mouth and keeping that sample in a cool, dry place or in a refrigerator, that sample lasts pretty much forever. But it also gives them some feeling of safety and confidence.
HEMMER: You mentioned, Ben, you mentioned fingerprinting, and we can also talk about photos, too. They have been the old standard, certainly.
Do you see a time when DNA replaces that, or is it all necessary?
ERMINI: I think that DNA is going to be the thing of the future, because fingerprints are very difficult, especially if it's a young child.
The ridges on a young child's finger are not really developed at an early age, so if it's not an expert taking the print, you usually end up with smudges so that they're pretty much not very useful.
HEMMER: Give me an example of when it worked, DNA-wise.
ERMINI: Well, I know of one case out in California, several years ago, where a child who had been missing for 17 years -- he had been abducted at the age of 5 and was later learned that he had been abducted as a young child, and he went to the law enforcement agency, and they verified the fact that there was an abduction.
And in order to verify the individual's identity, DNA was tested, and he was eventually reunited with his biological parents.
HEMMER: Good outcome there.
Do you need one of these kits, Ben, in order to get a DNA sample? Is there another method that one can use?
ERMINI: A kit isn't necessary. A parent, a guardian, can simply get a swab, swab the inside of a child's mouth, or a toothbrush that the child used, or a piece of clothing they can retain.
But what works best is a swab of the inside of the mouth, put it in a vial or put it in a plastic bag. And then store that in a cool dry place or put it in your refrigerator or freezer. It lasts forever.
HEMMER: Well, listen, it appears like it's the wave of the future. I would anticipate that you see this going up higher in popularity. Is that a fair assessment?
ERMINI: Yes, I think so.
HEMMER: All right, Ben Ermini, thanks for coming in and talking about it. It caught our eye earlier today, and we appreciate hearing you out. Thank you, sir.
ERMINI: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right.
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