DURHAM - The latest DNA analysis shows that the boyfriend of the woman who says she was raped by three men at a Duke lacrosse team party is the most likely source of sperm found in her body. However, the director of the private laboratory in Burlington that conducted the test said it is impossible to pinpoint when the woman had sex.

"In general, if we test a vaginal swab, there's no way to determine how old the semen is on that swab," said Brian Meehan, laboratory director of DNA Security Inc. Meehan would not discuss the tests conducted in the lacrosse investigation. As a rule of thumb, live sperm cells can live inside the body for 48 to 72 hours after sex, said Marcia Eisenberg, technical director for Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings, a forensic identity lab. Even after the sperm cells die, it is possible to extract DNA from fluid left in the body.

The sample tested by DNA Security  lab was recovered from the woman during the administration of a rape kit and medical examination at Duke Hospital early the morning of March 14. This was shortly after the woman, an escort service dancer, told police she was raped during a team party at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. that started March 13.

De-classified Satellite Imagery 98et89912NS DNA Security Complex, Burlington N.C.