FRANKFORT, Ky, (Aug. 28, 2023) – The Attorney General’s Office and Kentucky State Police (KSP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) investigative teams have achieved a significant breakthrough in a series of sexual assault cases. George Wayne Aldridge, who was indicted earlier this year in Fayette County for three sexual assaults, is now facing an additional indictment for a sexual assault that occurred in Louisville in 2005.
“The Attorney General’s Office is dedicated to assisting law enforcement agencies with investigations. Through federal funding, our office has brought powerful new forensic techniques to Kentucky that help us solve some of our most heinous cold cases and provide victims with answers they have been waiting so long for,” said Robyn Diez d’Aux, Executive Director of the Attorney General Office of Victim’s Advocacy. “We want to thank all partners who worked on this case to ensure justice isn’t denied to these victims.”
The Forensic Genetic Genealogy testing of the collected evidence led KSP SAKI investigators to Aldridge, and the subsequent KSP Laboratory confirmed with traditional DNA testing that his DNA matched the profile found in the sexual assault evidence.
“Our team continues working and reworking these investigations to bring justice to the victims and their families, even if it’s decades later,” said KSP Detective Ben Wolcott, lead SAKI investigator. “We have not, and will not, give up on these cases.”
The Office of the Attorney General's SAKI team provided the funding to perform the Forensic Genetic Genealogy DNA testing, and KSP’s and OAG’s SAKI teams worked closely with Lexington Police Department’s detectives on research and data.
“I am extremely appreciative of the financial assistance provided by SAKI investigative teams and their willingness to fund an innovative investigation,” said Lexington Police Detective Monika Rozalski. “Since taking over the cases in 2016, analysts from KSP, Parabon and myself have spent countless hours to ensure these cases and, more importantly, the victims were not forgotten. Our collaborative team effort and the grant funding provided by SAKI led to the indictment of George Wayne Aldridge in Lexington and other jurisdictions.”
Kentucky has two SAKI grants, one in the Office of the Attorney General and one in the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. Through this collaboration, offenders are being held accountable and victims are obtaining justice. The SAKI grant program, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, provides financial support to jurisdictions across the country to address the backlog of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and support victims of sexual assault.
If you have information about a criminal case, please contact your local KSP Post or call the tip line at 800-222-5555.