NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – When Memphis mother and kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher was killed more than two years ago, what surfaced beyond the case was the issue of health kits. sexual assault not tested in Tennessee.

The man who was convicted of Fletcher’s murder, police say, should have been arrested for rape years ago. However, the rape kit in this case had not been tested, so he remained a free man.

“The perpetrators of these crimes are ticking time bombs just waiting to find their next victim,” said Verna Wyatt, co-founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims.

In response to the backlog that has been so closely scrutinized, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation not only ramped up its testing but also contracted 1,100 kits to a Florida lab.

According to executives, these initiatives have increased their processing rate by three times compared to that of 2022.

“The sooner they are taken off the streets, the safer the streets will be,” Wyatt said. “It’s just a fact.”

Metropolitan Police leaders hope to emulate the practice here. Thanks to a grant they received from the federal government, if authorized by the Metro Council, they would spend nearly a quarter of a million dollars on their own backlog problem they say they are facing.

Part of the financing, according to grant applicationwill also be used to expand MNPD’s forensic biology lab, where they test these kits.

“The sooner you catch this person, the sooner they won’t have the opportunity to create another victim,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt has been advocating for victims in Tennessee for decades. Since her own sister was raped and murdered, she has dedicated her life to ensuring that families do not endure the same suffering alone.

She believes outsourcing untested kits will expedite the justice victims deserve.

“It’s terrifying for a victim to wait and not know who their attacker is,” Wyatt said. “I think most victims think, ‘Well, maybe he’ll come back for me.’ But they also think: ‘He’s going to do it again.’

Wyatt hopes outsourcing will not only address the backlog, but also prevent the recidivism rate from creating a massive network of victims.

“I would say the long-term cost of victimization far outweighs just dealing with it in the first place,” Wyatt said.

THE resolution will be presented to the Metropolitan Council’s public health and safety committee at its meeting on Thursday, November 7.

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