German police say they have solved a nine-year-old theft case after the DNA found on a half-eaten piece of sausage corresponded to that of a man detained in France for an unrelated crime.
Police in the western town of Schwelm said on Thursday that the sausage belonged to the victim and that the suspect – a 30-year-old Albanian citizen – appeared to have taken a bite during the March assault in Gevelsberg. 2012.
Officials from the Nordrhein-Westfalen force said in a statement that the DNA standard did not have a direct impact at the time, but that automatic comparisons with international databases led to a link later.
The connection was made after French police collected a DNA sample from a man involved in a violent crime that corresponded to the sample of theft, alerting investigators.
It was not clear what type of sausage – known in Germany as sausage – the thief nibbled on, although the police said it was a difficult variety.
However, the statute of limitations for the theft has expired, meaning that the suspect is unlikely to be extradited to Germany. Schwelm police said the suspect remains at large.
With the Associated Press.