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Oct. 2, 2018Jefferson City, MO |  By: AP

Federal grant to help test 5,424 untested Missouri rape kits

The Missouri attorney general's office says an 11-month audit determined that at least 5,424 rape kits remain untested across the state, but a new federal grant might help reduce the backlog.
Attorney General Josh Hawley's office said in a news release Monday that 372 of Missouri's law enforcement agencies voluntarily responded to the audit. The Columbia Missourian reports the office also received information from 87 health care providers and five crime labs.
Hawley said his office has received a $2.8 million Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant will help fund testing of the kits, and efforts to standardize the collection and testing procedures. One condition of the grant is that Hawley's office must make more efforts to inventory untested kits.