Wherever you go, you leave behind part of yourself. You sip from a water bottle and leave DNA on it. You blow your nose in a tissue and leave DNA on it. Your saliva, your snot, your hair, your blood—they all contain your DNA.

    DNA is a material in your body. It stores all the information that makes you you. Your DNA comes from your parents. It controls your hair color, eye color, and much more. You can see it only with a strong microscope.

    Every person’s DNA is unique. That makes it a great tool for solving crimes. Police have been using DNA since 1986. They take DNA from a crime scene. Then they run it through a database of criminals’ DNA. If there’s a match, they’ve found their suspect.

    But what if the person who did the crime has never been a criminal before? Then their DNA wouldn’t be in the database. That’s where a new tool helps.

    Did you know that wherever you go, you leave behind part of yourself?

    You sip from a water bottle and toss it in the recycling bin. You blow your nose in a tissue and forget about it. Your saliva, your snot, your hair, your blood—they all contain your DNA.

    So what is DNA? DNA, which is passed on to you by your parents, is the material in your body that stores all the information that makes you you. It controls your hair and eye color and so much more—and it can be seen only under a strong microscope. 

    Every person’s DNA is unique, which makes it one of the best tools for solving crimes, and police have been using it since 1986. They can take DNA from a crime scene and run it through a database of criminals’ DNA. If there’s a match, they know they’ve found their suspect.

    But if the suspect has never been a criminal, then their DNA wouldn’t be in the database. That’s where an exciting new tool has come in.

    In the past 10 years, it has become easy for anyone to test their DNA. Millions of people have done it. How? You spit into a little plastic tube. You send the tube to a company, like AncestryDNA or 23andMe. Those companies test DNA. The results can help people find long-lost relatives. They can learn which parts of the world their family comes from.

    Some people use these DNA databases to build family trees. Misty Gillis is one of them. She solved the mystery of Daniel Armantrout. 

    How did Gillis do it? She got DNA from Bibb County officials. She used it to find a family match in a DNA database. It was the boy’s cousin. Then she found that cousin’s relatives—and started calling people. Misty’s search led her to Danny’s brother. He confirmed that Danny had run away in 1961. 

    Unknown Boy was unknown no more. 

    Within the past 10 years, it has become easy for anyone to test their DNA. Millions of people have spit into little plastic tubes and sent those tubes off to companies like AncestryDNA and 23andMe for testing. Why? The results can help them find long-lost relatives and give them clues as to what part of the world their family comes from.

    Some people, like Misty Gillis, have become experts in using these DNA databases to build family trees. Gillis used her skills to solve the mystery of Daniel Armantrout. 

    So how did Gillis do it? She used DNA provided by Bibb County officials to find a family match in a DNA database. It was the boy’s cousin. Then she found that cousin’s relatives—and simply started calling people. Misty’s search finally led her to Danny’s brother, who confirmed that Danny had run away in 1961. 

    Unknown Boy was unknown no more. 

    Hundreds of unsolved cases have been solved since police started using DNA databases in this way. But some people worry. Could your DNA get a family member in trouble? And what’s next? Let’s say a cup blows out of your hand. Will you get fined for littering after police test the DNA on the cup?

    For now, there are rules in place that protect people’s privacy. Only certain DNA databases allow the police to use them. (For example, the biggest ones—AncestryDNA and 23andMe—don’t.) Those databases can be used only to solve violent crimes—not smaller crimes like littering.

    Many experts are excited about the possibilities. Unknown victims like Daniel can be given a name. Cases that have stumped police for years can be solved­—sometimes in hours!

    Who knew a little spit could be such a powerful tool? 

    Hundreds of unsolved cases from the past have been solved this way. But some people worry. Could your DNA get a family member in trouble? And what’s next? Let’s say a cup blows out of your hand. The police find it. Will you get fined for littering?

    For now, rules protect people’s privacy. Only certain DNA databases allow the police to use them. (The biggest ones—AncestryDNA and 23andMe—don’t.) Those databases can be used only to solve violent crimes—not smaller crimes like littering.

    Experts say a lot can be done with DNA. Unknown victims like Daniel can be given a name. Cases that have stumped police for years can be solved—sometimes in hours!

    Who knew a little spit could be such a powerful tool? 

    Hundreds of unsolved cases have been solved since police started using DNA databases in this way. But some people worry about whether their DNA could get a family member in trouble. And what’s next? Will you get fined for littering if a cup blows out of your hand and police later test the DNA on the cup?

    For now, there are rules in place that protect people’s privacy. Only certain DNA databases allow the police to use them. (For example, the biggest ones—AncestryDNA and 23andMe—don’t.) Those databases can be used only to solve violent crimes—not smaller crimes like littering.

    Many experts are excited about the possibilities. Unknown victims like Daniel can be given a name, and cases that have stumped police for years can be solved—sometimes in hours!

    Who knew a little spit could be such a powerful tool?