The Nation - News from July 26, 1987
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation destroyed bloodstain evidence in a murder because the victim tested positive for AIDS antibodies, officials said. Bryan County detective Sgt. Bob Wallace said clothing that may have been worn by the killer of a Valiant, Okla., schoolteacher was sterilized at the state lab, so the blood on them could not be identified. The crime lab in Durant was following FBI policy, said Donald Flynt of the state bureau, because FBI labs will not analyze blood or bloodstain evidence if the crime victim or suspect is known to carry the AIDS virus. FBI spokesman Bill Carter confirmed that the agency adopted the policy late last year, as a means of protecting its employees.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
