Ocala Police Department submitted the suspect’s DNA and the air bag from the vehicle involved to DNA Labs International, a private forensic laboratory, who were able to confirm that the DNA from both matched.
Deerfield Beach, Fla. (March 2018) – On January 13, 2018, two women were killed after a 2014 Nissan Frontier hit them on East State Road 40 in Ocala, Florida. The truck departed the scene of the accident, but was found nearby with no one inside and the air bag deployed. After DNA evidence tied Joshua Zuniga, the owner of the vehicle, to the scene of the crime, the Ocala Police Department arrested him and charged him with two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.
The Ocala Police Department submitted DNA from Zuniga and the air bag from the pickup to DNA Labs International, a private forensic laboratory in Broward County, Florida, to process the evidence. Zuniga has denied that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. DNA Labs International was able to match Zuniga’s DNA to that of the DNA found on the deployed air bag from the pickup truck. Police officials chose to submit the items to DNA Labs International because of their advanced DNA collection techniques and quick turnaround time.
DNA Labs International specializes in forensic casework analysis using the latest DNA technologies and techniques available. This allows agencies an opportunity to achieve the best results possible and to solve cases that were unsolvable before.
For more information regarding the case, read the full news report from Ocala.com.
To learn more about DNA Labs International’s capabilities, visit http://dnalabsinternational.com/. 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. 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. They can now achieve comparable DNA results from spent shell casings! 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
