Mislabeled Evidence Finally Reveals Suspect In Houston Rape Case

HOUSTON (AP) — Investigators in Houston say a correction to a mislabeled rape kit has led to a suspect identified in the 2003 sexual assault of an elderly woman.

Harris County District Attorney Pay Lykos said Wednesday that a DNA sample from Wesley Bernard Gordon was not registered in a law enforcement database until 2008. Sheriff's investigators entered the information while investigating another case.

Officials say evidence from the August 2003 attack on a 77-year-old legally blind woman was mislabeled while stored in a police property room. The rape kit wasn't tested until last summer when the wrong incident number was discovered. Results from September indicate a DNA match to the 40-year-old Gordon, who remains at large.

The crime lab has been dealing with a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits.