A scene of crime officer’s attention to detail has helped put the squeeze on a prolific offender.
It started in September when a woman returned to her home in Manurewa. Once inside she noticed an insecure window to a bathroom and footprints showing someone had been inside.
As she looked around to see if anything else was out of the ordinary, she saw an unknown female hiding under a bed. While the victim called Police, the offender ran off. The victim later discovered jewellery had been stolen from her home.
Scene of Crime Officer Robyn Connal from Counties Manukau South Forensics attended alongside a Public Safety Team (PST) unit and conducted a forensic examination. In the process, she located a discarded partially eaten orange near the point of entry. Robyn identified it as foreign to the scene and obtained DNA swabs.
As a result of the swabs, a DNA profile was identified through Environmental Science and Research (ESR) analysis for a known prolific offender with links across the Counties Manukau and Auckland City Districts.
Fast forward to 26 October, and the suspect and an associate were identified by a Counties Manukau East PST unit. They were acting suspiciously near a location of interest and subsequently located in a vehicle attempting to hide from police.
The woman was identified as being sought in relation to the Manurewa burglary, and arrested and charged.
“This is a great example of attention to detail to locate and identify a foreign item of interest when attending scenes, leading to the apprehension of a wanted suspect,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Rob Hunkin.
