A Florida cold case was solved after nearly four decades. After all these years, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office solved a kidnapping and sexual battery case from 1989. On November 20, 1989, a 7-year-old victim was at Tampa Lanes on North Dale Mabry Highway when she was approached by an adult male who lured her to his vehicle, abducted her, and, over the course of the next few hours, sexually battered her. The victim was ultimately released in the area of Crown Lanes on West Hillsborough Avenue.
At the time, a large-scale investigation was conducted, and biological evidence was collected, yielding a viable DNA profile. Despite extensive investigative efforts, the case eventually went cold. In 2005, the DNA profile was entered into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), an FBI program that operates criminal-justice DNA databases; however, no matches were found.
In 2022, due to advancements in DNA technology and with grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the evidence was resubmitted for additional analysis…