Volusia County Sheriff’s Office submitted DNA from an unsolved 1997 rape case to DNA Labs International, a private forensic laboratory, who were able to identify one of the assailants.
Deerfield Beach, FL (April 2017) – A two-decade old rape case is one step closer to being solved in Volusia County, Florida thanks to a recent DNA hit.
In 1997, a 14-year-old girl left alone in the woods in Volusia County was assaulted and raped by three men. Until recently, her attackers remained unidentified. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office submitted sexual assault kit evidence to DNA Labs International, a private forensic laboratory in Broward County, Florida, to process the DNA when then-sheriff Ben Johnson asked for a review of all cases in which DNA had not been submitted to a lab.
The evidence hit to Robert Sheridan Haar, a 42-year-old ex-convict from Portage, Wisconsin.
Additional DNA from the case has been processed, which has led to the identification of a second profile. The second profile has not been linked to a specific person as of yet but investigators hope that additional testing will link the DNA to one of the other two assailants.
DNA Labs International specializes in forensic casework analysis using the latest technologies, including STRmix™ expert software, which is a breakthrough in forensic DNA analysis. STRmix allows for DNA Labs International to get results on samples that may have been considered inconclusive in the past. It is especially crucial in cold cases that were unsolvable in the past because of a complex DNA mixture. This expert software is also useful in cases with low-level DNA and partial DNA profiles or where there are no suspects and DNA from multiple people on a single sample.
STRmix has been crucial in helping resolve complex DNA mixtures commonly found when working sexual assault crimes and gun possession cases.
For more information regarding the case, read the full news report from The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
For more information, visit DNA Labs International. Stay up-to-date on the latest in forensics by following DNA Labs International on Facebook and LinkedIn.
About DNA Labs International:
Since 2004, DNA Labs International has been providing clients with exceptional quality service based on open communications, equal attention to the importance of every case and accurate and reliable results every time. DNA Labs International is proudly built on 30 years of experience in forensic serology and DNA analysis. They provide the latest technology available to solve cases; such as the M-VAC®, a wet vacuum DNA collection tool and STRmix®, a software program that can solve previously inconclusive DNA results. DNA Labs International is accredited by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the country’s longest established provider of ISO 17025 accreditation to Forensic Sciences testing laboratories in the U.S. www.dnalabsinternational.com
