The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is the first law enforcement agency in the state to make arrests under a new DNA database collection law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, that went into effect last July.
The statute, Chapter 943.325 F.S., requires law enforcement agencies to collect a DNA sample from those booked into a Florida jail on an immigration detainer.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “Governor DeSantis and Florida lawmakers continue to provide us with the tools we need to keep our citizens safe and this new law is a great example of that. We are so fortunate to live in a law-and-order state with Attorney General Moody and law enforcement leaders like Sheriff Rambosk. Together, we are committed to keeping Florida safe.”
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said, “I want to commend Governor DeSantis for enacting this legislation, which is enabling law enforcement to make their communities safer and hold perpetrators responsible for their crimes. I feel fortunate that the Collier County Sheriff’s Office is the first jurisdiction in the state to solve cases with the help of this database.”
DNA samples from the two male suspects out of Collier County were entered into Florida’s DNA database and uploaded into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). Both samples hit to sexual battery cold cases. FDLE labs in Ft. Myers and Tampa worked quickly to confirm the hits and provided the information to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. After an investigation, the two men were arrested.
Martin Rodriguez Rios, 37, was charged with sexual battery on a 2014 Collier County case after a state-level hit in the DNA database on January 8, 2024.
Francisco Figueroa, 43, was also charged with sexual battery in a 2022 Collier County case after a state-level hit in the DNA database on January 10, 2024.
Both suspects remain in the Collier County Jail.
Florida’s DNA database, housed at FDLE, receives DNA samples from individuals arrested or convicted for offenses as mandated by Florida law. The database averages more 4,500 DNA hits to unsolved crimes each year. For more information about Florida’s DNA database, visit our website, https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Forensics/Disciplines/DNA-Database.
