Commission harnessing new DNA technology to work two local cases, among others
Kissimmee and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office hosted the Florida Sheriff Association’s Cold Case Advisory Commission’s two-day symposium this week, highlighting the DNA technology and other tools law enforcement uses to bring justice to families who’ve lost loved ones, even after decades of waiting.
“We have people out there who are looking for closure, the surviving families of victims of crimes,” Sheriff Lopez said. “It is of the utmost importance to continue to review and investigate these cases to help surviving family members get the closure they need to move on. We will continue to actively investigate these cases and partner with the cold case advisory committee.”
As part of the meeting, 45 local officers attended training on forensic procedures available through the collaborative efforts of Florida Sheriff’s deputies, and other professionals involved in the process.
Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast, who heads the Commission, talked Wednesday about its ability to gather resources and make them available, like skill sets, knowledge of emerging technology like DNA science improvement, presentation of technology, and how to apply it.
“It’s about finding closure for the missing-person cases that have haunted them and their families for, in some cases, four or five decades,” he said. “With the advancement in science and technology, we were able to work closely with our colleagues by creating this Commission.”
He noted Commission has current and former sitting Sheriffs, a medical examiner, 12 detectives, a judge, an assistant prosecutor and representatives from the Medical Examiner’s office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“We can get after the tough business of looking for opportunities to find closure for these families,” he said.
The Commission is currently reviewing about 80 cases, and has solved “tens of them,” since 2015, Prendergast said. That includes a 1981 killing from Hernando County, solved this year.
The Commission is currently studying two local cases: the Kissimmee shooting death of Cornell Clark in Kissimmee in May 2020 being investigated by Osceola Sheriff’s, and the Kissimmee Police case of Ricardo De Lara, who was shot and killed in his home in October 2020.
“Each case has a set of unique circumstances,” Prendergast said. “There is enormous evidence often gathered, but once we cases sit for a long time, languish on a shelf and not be reviewed for months or years. Due to the scientific breakthroughs, we are able to find DNA evidence to see if we can uncover the facts and close these cases out for those family members missing loved ones.
