FBI agents have turned their sights on the widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tasrnaev after finding traces of female DNA on fragments of the pressure cooker used during the attacks.
Authorities told the New York Times that Katherine Russell, wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, could potential be involved in a number of activities relating to the bombing, including destroying evidence willingly or unwillingly, assisting the bombers in evading police and even planning the attacks themselves.
Federal agents took a sample of Russell's DNA on Monday while she is staying with her parents in their home in Rhode Island. The couple had a 3-year-old daughter who the DNA could belong to, officials said.
Investigators told CNN that female DNA does not necessarily mean a woman was involved in the attacks, but could be due to the fact that a woman handled the products used in the bombing before the suspects got a hold of them.
The DNA may also belong to one of the victims of the attack, according to Lawrence Kobilinsky, a DNA expert at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
The FBI is looking into collecting DNA from any woman who could have been affiliated with Tamerlan or his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during the time of the bombings.
Russell has since denied her husband's involvement in the bombings, and her attorney said she is cooperating with the investigation.
Tamerlan died in a shootout with police April 19, and his brother Dzhokhar remains in a local hospital. He could face charged of using weapons of mass destruction, according to the LA Times.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
