NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An audit suggests that Tennessee lawmakers require updates on the 9,000-plus rape kits statewide, including almost 7,000 in Memphis, that were awaiting testing in July 2014.
The state comptroller's audit says a 2014 law required a report on rape kits not sent to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation lab or other lab, but didn't require updates, expedited testing or mandatory turnaround times.
TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland says New York district attorney grants helped send 6,900 Memphis kits to independent labs, with 2,900 remaining at labs.
Niland says other grants sent almost 1,300 kits from elsewhere to independent labs. Kits need to return to TBI to review results.
Additionally, the audit says TBI didn't retain some documentation in the 2014 inventory, so auditors couldn't evaluate whether TBI accurately reported the backlog.