Lee County’s rapid DNA tech helps solve crimes in record time

Reporter: Annalise Iraola
Published: Updated:

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has introduced groundbreaking technology that speeds up DNA analysis, drastically reducing the time needed for results. This new system can provide answers in just 90 minutes.

DNA evidence is crucial for law enforcement, but traditional analysis can take weeks or months. Now, a compact black machine at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Center accelerates the process.

“Ande is our rapid DNA analysis machine, it is able to process DNA samples within two hours,” said Laura Bellot, crime scene technician for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “So it makes our life a little bit easier, especially for priority cases such as homicides.”

Bellot explained that swabs are inserted into a chip, which is then placed into the Ande machine to begin processing.

“Once we download the actual information from the machine, we’ll take it to our fairs program,” said Bellot. “That’s what we’ll decide if there’s a match or not.”

In December, detectives used this technology to arrest Abraham Reyes for a stabbing. They matched the victim’s DNA to blood found on Reyes’ sweatshirt.

“Deputies were canvassing the area and located that suspect who actually had dried blood on his clothing, as well as some blood on the weapon that he had used,” said Julie Sin, public information officer for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “So our crime scene technicians were able to come out and collect those pieces of evidence, they ran that through the Ande machine, which then matched to our suspect.”

Sin mentioned that the Ande machine is also used to identify victims of natural disasters.

“We’re also using it to identify victims of natural disasters. So after Hurricane Ian, we helped identify a victim,” said Sin. “We sent one of our crime scene techs to Maui to help identify those victims as well.”

This technology not only enhances safety in Lee County but also provides closure for victims’ families.

Only four departments in Florida use this technology, including the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which shares DNA profiles with Osceola, Volusia, and Orange counties.

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