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DNA readings from cat hairs have once again helped crack a homicide case — demonstrating the power of genetic pet databases to solve crimes.

The latest case involves a suspect in Britain who was convicted of manslaughter after prosecutors drew a genetic link between his pet cat, Tinker, and cat hairs found at the crime scene. Investigators took advantage of a database of DNA from 152 cats in Britain.

"This is the first time cat DNA has been used in a criminal trial in the UK," Jon Wetton, the University of Leicester geneticist who led the cat DNA project, said in a statement Wednesday. "We now hope to publish the database so it can be used in future crime investigations."

How the case was cracked

In July 2012, the dismembered torso of Hampshire resident David Guy was found on a Southsea beach, wrapped in a curtain on which eight cat hairs were found. Constables sent the hairs to California for analysis of the mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down from a mama cat to her kittens. Hairs from suspect...