Investigators Collect DNA Sample From Widow Of Bombing Suspect

Authorities are continuing their efforts to piece together the lives of the two Boston Marathon bombings suspects.

On Monday, investigators collected a DNA sample from Katherine Russell, the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, to compare against female genetic material found on bomb fragments at one of the explosion sites.

The New York Times reports:

The authorities are looking at a range of possibilities, two senior law enforcement officials said, including that [Russell] could have — wittingly or unwittingly — destroyed evidence, helped the bombers evade capture or even played a role in planning the attacks. As part of the investigation, F.B.I. agents are trying to determine whether female DNA found on a piece of a pressure cooker used as an explosive device in the attacks was from Katherine Russell, the wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the officials said.

It's just one of the several avenues federal agents are pursing. WBUR's Deborah Becker reports on other recent developments in the investigation. (Click play above.)