Audit Finds 337 Louisiana Rape Kits Unsubmitted

A Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s review found that 337 of 1,879 reported sexual assault kits collected from July 2024 through December 2025—about 18%—had not been submitted to a crime lab as of February. The audit also found that some labs do not test kits when police or prosecutors decide not to pursue a case, while state law does not clearly require every reported kit to be tested. Auditors identified shortcomings in victims’ ability to track kit status and found that, in more than a quarter of surveyed cases, police had not picked up kits from care providers or delivered them to labs by required deadlines. The auditor recommends clearer legal requirements and expanded tracking statuses to show whether a kit was tested and, if not, why; the findings do not necessarily mean every untested kit was mishandled, since some cases may be closed or testing may still be pending.