Twins charged as DNA fails to establish rapist identity

French police investigating a series of rapes in the southern city of Marseilles are confounded after tracing DNA evidence to a set of twins, but not knowing which one may be to blame.

With telling the difference between the twins’ DNA being extremely difficult and expensive, police have in the meantime charged both men, 24-year-olds identified only as Elwin and Yohan, and are holding them without bail.

“It’s a rather rare case for the alleged perpetrators to be identical twins,” chief investigator Emmanuel Kiehl said.