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'11,000 TO ZERO' - ALL 11,341 UNTESTED RAPE KITS DISCOVERED IN 2009 HAVE BEEN TESTED
WAYNE COUNTY - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy today announces the "11,000 to Zero" campaign. Since 2009 these cases have been actively investigated leading to hundreds of prosecutions, but there are still thousands of cases to review. Survivors assaulted between 1984 and 2009 now have an additional option to find out the results of their rape kit testing and the status of their case via a new confidential information line or by visiting www.MyRapeKit.com to receive results and provide information to be used for investigation.*
Personnel for the 11,000 to Zero Untested Rape Kits information line will be available to receive calls Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at (313) 224-4111. Survivors who place calls after hours will have the option to leave a confidential voicemail message.
"It takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage for survivors to revisit the events of a sexual assault," said Worthy. "We understand their decision to come forward is not an easy one but want to reassure them that they are not forgotten and their cases still very much matter. We have now reached a point where we need to reach thousands of survivors to make certain they get answers."
In addition to rape kit testing results and case information, survivors will receive information for counseling services through Wayne County's community partner, Avalon Healing Center. Avalon Healing Center is the only organization in Southeast Michigan that offers free comprehensive medical services, traditional counseling, legal advocacy services, and alternative healing therapies for sexual assault survivors.
Since the rape kits were discovered in 2009, Prosecutor Worthy's office has investigated and closed more than 4,800 of these cases, resulting in 239 convictions, with 40 states impacted, and 841 suspected serial offenders identified. (See Appendix A- Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Timeline.)
*Rape Kit Info Line and MyRapeKit.com website are funded from private donations. and administrated by the Detroit Crime Commission.
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