More than 6,000 women in Clark County have survived sexual assault nightmares only to have their rape kit sit in a vault somewhere, untested.
But, that will change.
Nevada now has $5.6 million in grant money to pay for crime-lab processing of rape kits on backlog.
A Rape kits contains evidence and biological specimens collected from people who say they were sexually assaulted. But a lack of resources means many remain untested, and cases remain unsolved.
For a rape victim, it's disturbing to know a predator could still be preying on others.
There are 7,500 rape kits on backlog statewide, with 6,300 in Clark County.
"Those samples represent a person, a friend, a sister, a brother," said Daniele Dreitzer, Rape Crisis Center.
Attorney General Adam Laxalt announced Thursday that Nevada would get up to $2 million from the White House and the New York City prosecutor's office. His office also plans to apply $1.7 million it received in a settlement toward the cause, and Las Vegas police announced they were getting $2 million of their own.
"If we're able to link case to case and prove a pattern, it will get some really dangerous people off the streets," Dreitzer said.
But Nevada has no process in place to keep from falling behind again.
In March, a statewide sexual assault kit working group, who applied for this grant, began working on solutions to that problem.
"The goal is that we'll have policies in place as a state that will make sure that kits are tested always going forward," Laxalt said.
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