Evidence Preservation in Ohio

State statute requires the automatic preservation of biological evidence for aggravated murder and murder offenses for the time the crime remains unsolved. For crimes such as voluntary manslaughter, first or second degree involuntary manslaughter, first or second degree vehicular manslaughter, rape, attempted rape, sexual battery, or gross sexual imposition of a person under 13 the evidence must be preserved for thirty years or as long as the offense remains unsolved. Effective: 2010; Amended most recently: 2014.

Ohio’s statute does NOT meet the best practices standards outlined by the NIST Technical Working Group on Biological Evidence Preservation.

Read the statute: Task Force – OH ST 109.561.

Read the statute: Evidence Preservation – OH ST 2933.82.