Florida man sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping a woman in her apartment in 2001
In December 2001, a 21-year-old college student was raped in her Bronx apartment in a violent attack that remained unsolved for more than two decades. In 2023, the investigation reached a breakthrough using Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program awarded to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to support cold case investigations. Using DNA evidence collected from the rape kits, the New York Police Department Forensic Laboratory developed a DNA profile that identified 51-year-old Jancys Santiago from Groveland, Florida as the suspect. In September 2026, Santiago was sentenced to 25 years in prison following New York State’s first indictment and jury conviction achieved through the use of IGG.
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