A billboard marks the spot where 9-year-old Asha Degree was last seen alive. For years, her bright eyes have gazed out at drivers on North Carolina Highway 18 as they whiz past, silently imploring them to share any information that could lead to a breakthrough in her missing persons case.

The department recently learned that some kits “were prone to intermittently poor performance with potential to cause incomplete results or profiles.”

The manufacturer of the test kits notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in August that many of the kits were likely defective, but it kept using them for several months.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it will retest 4,000 DNA samples and open an internal investigation after learning that it used potentially flawed test kits for eight months.

Clint Bonnell was reported missing in January. Remains found near his home a month later were identified Friday as his.

A Suffolk County judge is weighing whether DNA evidence can be used in the upcoming murder trial of Rex Heuermann, the man accused in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. FOX 5’s Jodi Goldberg was inside the courtroom in Riverhead.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have for the first time used DNA to help create 3D electronically operational devices with nanometer-size features.

Thanks to the rise of DNA test kits, it's easier than ever to explore your genetic roots. If you want to dig deeper into your family tree but cost has been a factor, thanks to the Amazon Big Spring Sale deals,