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2mo ago

France Plans Law to Allow Genetic Genealogy in Cold-Case Investigations

The justice minister says a January bill would tightly restrict judge-approved searches of foreign consumer DNA databases to the most serious crimes.

Les résultats des tests ADN réalisés pour des recherches généalogiques par des particuliers pourraient être utilisés lors d’enquêtes policières, d’après une proposition de Gérald Darmanin.
Le garde des Sceaux, Gérald Darmanin, à Réau (Seine-et-Marne), le 13 octobre 2025.
Jusqu’ici sans cadre légal en France, cette mesure est saluée par Annie Gourgue, présidente de La Mouette, association d’aide à la recherche d’enfants disparus.
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Overview

  • The proposal would authorize genetic genealogy for murders, rapes and kidnappings under judicial control and with tightly defined limits.
  • Officials cite more than 50,000 unmatched DNA traces in the national FNAEG file and say about thirty cases at the Nanterre cold-case unit could benefit.
  • French investigators have already used the method indirectly, with a 2022 arrest secured after the FBI queried U.S. private databases in the 'prédateur des bois' case.
  • Recreational DNA tests remain illegal in France, and the CNIL warns of weak guarantees on data quality and storage, with fines and potential prison for providers.
  • Cold-case magistrates and victim advocates welcomed the plan as a legal safeguard, while experts highlight privacy risks and reliance on foreign private repositories.