DNA backlog revelation sparks inquiries

MANATEE — The revelation that federal authorities had the DNA of home invasion and rape suspect Delmer Smith III, but hadn’t logged it in FBI databases drew calls for action Wednesday from local politicians and law enforcement.

Officials with U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s office said he has started an investigation into the handling of Smith’s DNA, including contacting the FBI and local law enforcement.

And Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight said he believes Smith would have been caught earlier if not for the backlog in processing DNA evidence.

FBI officials acknowledged Tuesday to the Bradenton Herald that they had Smith’s DNA taken while he was in federal prison for bank robbery, but it was not entered into DNA databases because it was part of a 250,000-sample backlog.

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office investigators found DNA at four crimes scenes in which women were attacked in their homes, including two rapes, starting in early February. But detectives did not get a hit on Smith because it wasn’t in the FBI databases.

It was only when police began investigating Smith after a bar fight in August that they found property stolen from the homes where women had been attacked. Detectives learned Smith was a former federal prison inmate and asked FBI agents to see if they had his DNA.

FBI officials found Smith’s DNA, received in March 2008, and fast-tracked its entry into the federal database, circumventing the backlog. The DNA from the crime scenes matched Smith’s sample taken in prison, according to reports.

The link came seven months after the first DNA sample was found at a crime scene — a time span during which Smith may have attacked as many as 11 women and one man in their homes in Manatee and Sarasota counties, investigators believe.

Knight said he appreciates the fact that the FBI has been forthcoming about the backlog and efforts to eliminate it.

“I am certainly not going to point any fingers,” Knight said. “There is a problem here, but it is not the FBI’s fault. They are working with the resources they have.

“All of us in law enforcement want these samples entered,” he added, “and the hope is the government will have the will to provide the funding to get that done.”

Buchanan’s spokeswoman Sally Tibbitts said the congressman will not make a public comment until his investigation into the matter is complete.

“We are in the fact-finding mode right now,” she said. “We are looking for answers to ensure this is corrected so there are no more victims and no more loss of life because of this problem.”

FBI spokeswoman Ann Todd wrote in an e-mail to the Bradenton Herald that extensive efforts are being made to eliminate the backlog, but it is going to take time. An automated computer system has been implemented that is increasing entries of samples into the National DNA Index System by 30,000 a month, according to Todd.

“It’s important that all authorized DNA profiles are entered into NDIS. As you can see from the proactive measures, implemented by the FBI Laboratory, we are committed to entering the profiles of federal offenders in a timely manner,” Todd wrote.