FDLE lab in Fort Myers uses DNA to help solve crimes

There’s a high-tech crime lab in Fort Myers where analysts help solve crimes to get criminals off the streets.

The lab is one of six in the state and they do more than just DNA. They also compare fingerprints and analyze drugs. There is also a crime scene team that helps to support dozen of law enforcement agencies in Southwest Florida.

“This is actually a 2-by-4 that was found at the scene that had blood on it,” said Crime Scene Supervisor Jessica Gerster.

The 2-by-4 is connected to the homicide of Jose Pineda, also known as “Torombolo,” who was beaten by two individuals inside an abandoned residence on the 100 block 6th Street in Immokalee on Dec. 10, 1998.

The 23-year-old homicide occurred when DNA science was in its infancy, but now crime analysts are hoping new technology can solve more crime.

“We start submitting evidence from these cold case homicides,” Gerster said.

Stephanie Arbogast is a crime laboratory analyst in the biology section who analyzes items found at crime scenes to find biological materials that can be used to develop DNA profiles.

It sounds like TV but it’s real life and a real job.

“I will do a color change test. So for example, blood, it will turn a bright pink color immediately if possibly blood is present. And I will take a swab of that stain for DNA analysis,” Arbogast said.

“It will go through a process called PCR, where it basically makes billions of copies of target segments.”

The goal is to find a match in a national database of DNA.

“It’s called CODIS, which is the combined DNA index system,” Arbogast said.

“It’s rewarding because the work that I’ve put into something and a DNA profile that I’m able to develop or any analyst at FDLE is able to develop, then it can potentially help solve a crime.”

Arbogast’s DNA work has helped solve cases, including the homicide of Sharon Gill whose death in Charlotte County went unsolved for decades.

“Many of these cases last years, and the evidence, there’s thousands of pieces of evidence that come through this lab every year,” said Eli Lawson, assistant special agent in charge at FDLE.

In 2020, Gill’s 1990 death was linked to Roland “Rollie” Davis, who was employed with a landscape crew who worked at her home, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Davis is on death row in Ohio for the murder of an 86-year-old retired nurse.

“What the newer technologies have been able to do is giving us tools to draw and narrow in on people that previously may have gone unnoticed,” said Collier County Sheriff’s Office Det. William Still.

With new technology and hopefully, a tip from the public, detectives hope to solve Pineda’s homicide.

MORE:

Anyone with information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300. Or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477. You can also submit a crime tip to Collier County Sheriff’s Office here.

To sign up for crime alerts from FDLE, visit here.

For more information on CODIS, visit here.

For videos on FDLE’s forensic services, visit here.